Regional

The concept of flood risk management, promoted by the EU Floods Directive, tries to mitigate flood risks not only by structural, hydraulic engineering measures, but also by non-structural measures, like, e.g., land-use planning, warning and evacuation systems. However, few methods currently exist for the economic evaluation of such non-structural measures and, hence, their comparison with structural measures.

Decision-making for the purpose of adaptation to climate change typically involves multiple stakeholders, regions and sectors as well as multiple objectives related to the use of resources and perceived benefits. Standard cost–benefit analysis can be argued to take into account easily monetised effects only. Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) embedded in participatory processes can therefore play an important role in defining the decision context and exploring stakeholders’ preferences.

Recent destructive flood events and projected increases in flood risks as a result of climate change in many regions around the world demonstrate the importance of improving flood risk management. Flood-proofing of buildings is often advocated as an effective strategy for limiting damage caused by floods. However, few empirical studies have estimated the damage that can be avoided by implementing such flood damage mitigation measures.

This report contributes to the theoretical framework of the Committee on Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee’s work on assessing the preparedness of the UK to meet the risks and opportunities arising from climate change.

To show the progress in Europe on adaptation to climate change and to showcase inspirational and daring adaptation projects ERANET CIRCLE-2 works on a bold and visual inspiration book with good practices of implementation of adaptation strategies and projects in Europe. While most people may have a rough comprehension of climate change, the phrase adaptation often invites only raised eyebrows. What is adaptation? How do you define it and what does it look like?

Cost-benefit analyses (CBA) of flood management plans usually require estimating expected annual flood damages on a study area, and rely on a complex modelling chain including hydrological, hydraulic and economic modelling as well as GIS-based spatial analysis. As most model-based assessments, these CBA are fraught with uncertainty. In this paper, we consider as a case-study the CBA of a set of flood-control structural measures on the Orb Delta, France.

Although sea-level rise (SLR) is not the only driver of coastal change, it is expected to radically alter the living conditions and prosperity of coastal communities in the decades to come. The economic assessment of sea level rise impacts and of coastal adaptation measures proves to be rather demanding due to the fact that these are complex phenomena, affected by both global conditions and local parameters.

Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Studies (CFRAMSs) and their product - Catchment Flood Risk Management Plans (CFRMPs) - are at the core of this new national policy for flood risk management and the strategy for its implementation. This policy is in line with international best practice and meets the requirements of the EU Floods Directive.