Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the South Caucasus Mountains

Human health In contrast to the energy sector, human well-being and health is included by National Communications to the UNFCCC as one of the areas most vulnerable to climate change in the short- and medium-term; though, no specific policy documents have been developed to tackle this issue. Moreover, none of the countries have comprehensive strategic policy papers in which relevant issues such as potential impacts of climate change on populations with respiratory, blood circulation, infectious and parasitic disease issues are mainstreamed. Other factors, especially in mountain regions, which may exacerbate the effect of climate change, are poverty and low human security and safety, e.g. according to the Ministry of Health and Social Security of Georgia mountain regions in western Georgia, in comparison with other regions of the country, are characterised by extreme poverty. In addition to the above issues, natural disasters triggered by climate change affect not only physical infrastructure but also human lives and therefore should be considered under the relevant health protection and social security strategies. Natural disasters Armenia In 2012 the Armenian Government approved the decree on “National strategy on disaster risk reduction of the Republic of Armenia and the Action Plan for of the national strategy on disaster risk reduction” (No. 281-N, dated 7March 2012). All climate change related natural disasters are considered under this umbrella and consequently all relevant actions are planned to respond to climate risks. The Government of Armenia adopted a decision on formation of the ARNAP (DRR National Platform) Foundation in line with the

strategy. Being a non-governmental organization, it provides opportunities for state, non-governmental, private and international institutions to participate in decision-making and consultation processes. At the same time, it provides opportunities for organizing and managing day-to-day operational activities and implementing long-term projects. It also provides the necessary flexibility to respond to new challenges (DRR National PlatformArmenia 2010). The National Platform also functions as a coordination mechanism for managing cooperation between the different agencies and stakeholders on the issue. Azerbaijan The “Azerbaijan-2020: Look into the future” Development Concept (President of Azerbaijan 2012) states that in order to effectively prevent natural disasters, the state should prioritise both relevant activities in emergency situations and the establishment of rapid reaction mechanisms for the social security of the population in such situations. At the same time, while drafting and implementing infrastructure projects in the regions of the country, the high likelihood of natural disasters should be taken into account, and relevant requirements should be considered when designing and building infrastructure facilities of vital importance to ensure that they retain their functionality as required. Georgia The President of Georgia approved the State Operation Plan on the Response on Natural and Technological Disasters in 2008 (President of Georgia 2008). The plan was developed to ensure a coordinated and effective response by government agencies to natural or technological disasters that may occur. However, the plan does not include any risk reduction or mitigation measures, nor does it ensure that there are adaptation activities for responding to climate change risks. In this light, it is worth noting that natural disasters

are named as one of the key risks affecting different economic sectors of the country in different policy documents, including the INDC (MoNRP 2015). The impact of natural disasters, especially those triggered by climate change, on economic sectors and ecosystems services should be considered and appropriate adaptation measures should be integrated into sectoral policy documents. Conclusions on the analysis of sectoral policies The analysis of the sectoral policies of the three countries of the South Caucasus reveals that: • More recent policy documents are more comprehensive in their coverage of adaptation issues. For example, the National Environmental Action Programmes and Biodiversity Strategies adopted before 2010 did not include climate adaptation, while documents adopted and/or drafted after 2010 do cover the subject. • Economic feasibility issues are only addressed in the short-term (for instance, renewable energy policy papers do not cover issues that impact in over 50 years’ time). • Some sectors are not covered by specific sectoral strategies but development strategies (for example, industry). • Lack of consistency and timely updating of sectoral strategies. Some strategies are not replaced in a timely manner or were not followed at all, or cover issues in completely new manner or for new areas. • Lack of availability of applied research and studies on sector vulnerability to climate change (energy strategies do not cover the potential increase of energy demand in the summer and winter months, as well as other aspects of sector developed against the projected climatic changes, as no studies have been conducted on this issue).

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