Outlook on Climate Change Adaptation in the Western Balkan Mountains

Summary of Key hazards, vulnerabilities and risks (continued)

Climate hazard

Key vulnerabilities

Key risks 8

ECONOMIC SOCIAL INSTITUTIONAL

Heavy snow precipitation and cold extremes

• Rural mountain communities, particularly the elderly and children, located in high-altitude settlements with poor road access and/or poor housing and infrastructure to cope with heavy snowfalls and extreme cold

• Inaccessibility of essential services (e.g. emergency healthcare for elderly at times of need) and reduced communication due to heavy snow precipitation and cold extremes • Increased cold-related mortality and morbidity especially among vulnerable sectors of the population • Economic and livelihood losses due to loss of livestock • Morbidity, illness and increased burden on healthcare systems due to emerging diseases • Epidemics

INSTITUTIONAL SOCIAL

Appearance of new disease vectors

• Urban and rural populations exposed to and unaware of prevention measures for new vector- borne diseases such as dengue fever, Chikungunya and tick-borne encephalatis , the spread of which is

favoured by warming temperatures • Limited capacities of health sector

ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONAL

Decreasing annual river discharge and low-flow periods in the summer, including droughts

• Hydropower and thermal power facilities which are exposed to decreases in annual discharge and changing seasonality of river flows, and rising river temperatures • The irrigation andwater supply needs of agriculture and farming • Poor water supply infrastructure, with high losses in the system • Agricultural crops require certain temperature range to grow productively • Significant presence of rare, endemic and vulnerable species and habitats that are sensitive to change temperature regimes

• Decreased security of energy supply, with inability/strain to meet energy demand during peak summer months when demand is highest and output is lowest

SOCIAL ECONOMIC

• Loss of crop yield and livestock

SOCIAL

• Water shortages, and water supply outage inmajor urban areas • Lower productivity leading to economic losses in the agricultural sector

ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMIC

Rising temperatures

ENVIRONMENTAL

• Loss of valuable species and habitats

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