Climate-Resilient Kymenlaakso – A Regional Climate Change Adaption Plan

Kymenlaakso Region, in Southeast Finland, is a forerunner in adapting to climate change. We are the first Finnish Region to make a Regional Climate Change Adaptation Plan. We are also proud to announce that Kymenlaakso has been accepted to the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change.

The changing climate affects a large part of society's functions and natural systems. The climate is changing despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Along with mitigation, it is necessary to adapt to changes in climate and to prepare for extreme weather phenomena. In this way, we can strengthen our ability to operate in the changing conditions and ensure that the worst risk scenarios can be avoided. The magnitude and scale of climate risks strongly depend on local conditions, as the risks and their effects are focused on a specific location. Adaptation is therefore mainly a local activity.

Climate-Resilient Kymenlaakso – Regional Adaptation Plan starts by assessing the future climatic conditions of our Region depending on the different greenhouse gas scenarios. In the Northern latitudes, the biggest changes will occur in wintertime, but we need to prepare for changes in all seasons.

Next, together with stakeholders and experts, we looked at the vulnerabilities and most likely risks in our Region. Focus was on nine key sectors: housing and land-use planning; heat and energy production and water supply; social and health care; biodiversity; agriculture; forestry; transport and logistics; industries; and tourism. For each sector, we outlined the risks and adaptation measures. We also acknowledged how interdependent different sectors are and thus the need for continued cooperation is one of the key elements of successful adaptation.

The Adaptation Plan is currently being finalised and will be available (in Finnish) on our website in mid-October. Our adaptation work will continue by supporting our Region’s actors’ adaptation measures and by developing new ways to create climate-resilient society. Our participation to the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change will play a key-role in our work to make our Region climate-proof.

For further information:

Ms Kaisa LEINO
Environmental planner

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