The Danish Minister of the Environment has kick-started an active initiative for adaptation to climate change. One of the results of this initiative is a distinct and active climate change adaptation profile, which will also focus on the involvement of citizens, businesses and municipal authorities. Among other things, the Minister has established a national dialogue forum which, for the first time, will bring together a group of key players to discuss common strategy and policy concerning adaptations to our climate in the future.

A raft of legislative changes is underway. Most recently, the Danish Planning Act was amended to enable municipalities to cite climate change adaptation as the basis for local plans.

With regard to the issue of financing, the government has just entered into an agreement with the municipal authorities concerning options for increasing municipal investment in climate change adaptation by up to DKK 2.5 billion by 2013. The aim of this initiative is to improve the financing opportunities open to the water companies.

The Climatemeter
A new tool, The Climatemeter, has been launched at klimatilpasning.dk. The toolcan provide inspiration for which methods to use when you are about to map the risks of flooding within your region or municipality.

SUSCOD: Coast of opportunities I Southern Lolland
A report from SUSCOD (SUStainable COastal Development in practise) shows great potential for climate adapted development along the south coast of the Danish island Lolland. The report from SUSCOD describes how to establish integrated coastal zone management if the dike is breached to allow the water to move in the landscape and create a new natural landscape behind the coast. Adaptation meassures, new unique natural landscape and holiday paradise are some of the prospects on the coast of opportunities. 

Read more about the project and its conclusions in the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

More examples of climate change adaptation
Klimatilpasning.dk has received a number of new cases on climate change adaptation in Denmark:

There are good prospects for wine produced in Denmark.The changes in our climate have improved conditions for wine growing in Denmark. Over the past decade, the amount of land under vine in Denmark has doubled due to rising temperatures.

The roof garden of the Danish National Archives is not merely a new green oasis for Copenhagen's citizens. The green pedestrian precinct 10 metres above the ground, with an area of over 7,000 m2, is able to retain large quantities of water and is an asset to the biodiversity of the capital.

The City of Copenhagen saves on sewer and water treatment plant capacity by purifying rainwater from roads, promenades and roofs separately, so that it can be channelled directly into watercourses or the harbour.

In the second largest city in Denmark, Aarhus, an old disused container terminal is now set to accommodate modern homes and businesses with world-class architecture. The district, which borders the sea, is protected against rising sea level by intelligent climate change adaptation solutions.

Read more about the cases in the links below.