If until recently the isolated protests of environmental activists to take action against climate change seemed extreme and incomprehensible to many of us, now the issue has become permanently planted in our everyday lives.
It is now clear to everyone that the warm winters and dry springs are not just an isolated phenomenon, but a symptom of something much bigger, something that we need to start paying attention to as a matter of urgency.
According to an estimate by the European Environment Agency, Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world. The climate reality in Europe precludes any illusion of a quick solution to long-standing problems. There will be damage, but the extent of it depends on societies being prepared in time – through improved insurance cover, new infrastructure design and laws to protect outdoor work in unbearable heat.
Smarter adaptation requires both action and data on climate-related risks and losses, experts say. To this end, a European platform on climate change adaptation – Climate-ADAPT – has been set up. It offers over 100 case studies and examples of potential adaptation options, as well as tools to support adaptation planning.
Across Europe, temperatures for March 2024 were 2.12 degrees Celsius above average for that month. Effective urban cooling and water retention solutions – this is the preferred tool for most cities.
How is Bulgaria preparing for climate change, are the responsible institutions preparing the necessary strategies at local level and are citizens involved in the process?
The State
The Ministry of Environment and Water prepares and periodically updates its long-term strategy for climate change mitigation up to 2050. Its aim is to identify options for achieving climate neutrality by 2050. It also proposes measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions in the residential and industrial sectors, transport, agriculture, waste management, land use and forestry.
The long-term goal practically means that by 2050, the sum of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere from all sectors of the economy, and carbon sequestration from forests and other ecosystems, as well as from technology-based solutions such as industrial carbon sequestration systems, should be zero.
The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy examines the main climate risks and vulnerabilities for key economic sectors and ecosystems. It also sets out a concrete action plan to 2030.
An analysis of anthropogenic climate change and risks affecting people and biodiversity is also under preparation. Actual data will be presented in July-August 2024.
EcoVarna sent a request under the Access to Public Information Act to all 12 municipalities in the Varna region on what measures they are taking to adapt to climate change. Only five of them replied to us. And the measures mentioned in the answers of some of them sound like “a student unprepared for the lesson standing on the blackboard in front of the whole class”.
According to the Municipality
the strategic documents that represent its vision for tackling climate change and reducing its carbon footprint are the municipal development plan (2014-2020), the updated integrated development plan (2021-2027), and the municipality’s environmental protection programme (2019- 2023).
The municipality has prepared a Low Emission Transport Zone. For a year experts have been discussing how to do just that. A proposal has already been prepared and is awaiting a decision by the municipal council, the municipality said.
The administration is also preparing a plan for monitoring the air in the central part of the city to give a real idea of its quality. An environmental noise action plan is currently being developed, which will form the basis for the construction of noise protection facilities. A project to finance the provision of composters for households has also been prepared. A major challenge for the municipality is to reduce dust during construction and renovation activities, the municipality acknowledges.
In Avren
have a long-term programme to promote the use of energy from renewable sources and biofuels (2020-2030) and a long-term energy efficiency programme for the same period. Their objectives are to improve the energy performance of residential buildings and to reach an energy consumption class of at least “B” after implementing energy saving measures, stimulating a minimum of 30% primary energy savings for renovated residential buildings.
In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change, a project is currently underway to rehabilitate and upgrade the lighting systems of some settlements in the municipality. It is envisaged to replace the depreciated lighting fixtures with light-emitting diode (LED) ones in several villages in the municipality, to commission modern intelligent control of street lighting with two-way data exchange, as well as renewable energy hybrid systems for electricity generation, to achieve the set indicators for savings and efficiency.
Avren is awaiting the approval of a project to implement the measures in all settlements. 238 composters for green and other bio-waste are to be installed in 14 settlements.
Beloslav Municipality
“implements Bulgaria’s overall strategy in the field of climate change protection”, the administration said. As more concrete measures, the administration points to “annual afforestation campaigns, gasifies administrative buildings, children’s and educational institutions, implements energy efficiency projects and the use of renewable energy sources, and renews its fleet of electric vehicles”. The main challenges the municipality cites in its efforts to address climate issues are “low incomes and an outdated housing stock.”
The municipality of Vetrino
also does not have a specific climate change and carbon footprint reduction strategy, but the municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (2021-2027) includes measures to mitigate climate change and adapt to climate change.
Energy audits and certification projects for municipal buildings are also underway, including the reconstruction and renovation of existing municipal social, health, education and administrative infrastructure and the introduction of a package of energy saving measures. Street lighting is also gradually being upgraded in all settlements of the municipality, they said. Initiatives are periodically carried out to reforest green areas in the settlements, the municipality said. The officials there proudly state that they will soon get a new electric vehicle.
They point to the lack of funding for projects related to environmental protection and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as major obstacles in their efforts to tackle climate change. The municipality boasts of “good cooperation with local businesses and citizens on climate initiatives” as well as “success in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – the municipal landfill has been reclaimed.”
Tackling climate change and transitioning to a carbon-neutral economy requires systemic change in multiple areas, immediate and large-scale efforts, especially by governments and businesses. But this process also needs everyone’s participation. In our roles as voters, consumers, homemakers, students or workers, parents and others, we have an impact with the choices we make in our daily lives.
