PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
An increase in average global temperatures of at least 2°C compared to pre-industrial period appears more and more inevitable. In this context, climate change is expected to directly affect the availability of water resources, in terms of both quantity and quality. This situation underscores key societal challenges such as ensuring secure access to water, consequences for agriculture and energy production, local territorial development, and population displacement, among others. Decisions regarding the distribution of water among various users should be grounded in scientific evidence, given the predicted scarcity.
Moreover, although many reports have been published on the current and future impacts of climate change on water resources, present mobilisation on adaptation issues is still limited to a few state-level services and operators, the scientific world, as well as some local authorities and economic stakeholders. It is, therefore, time to move from a pioneer to a shared and widely implemented approach.
In France, the national adaptation plan to climate change is drawn up at the river basin level by the water agencies. These river basin plans are then implemented at the local level by local managers who need support, guidance and tools to better identify the specific vulnerabilities of their territories to climate change and to develop and deploy tailored adaptation pathways.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the LIFE Eau&Climat project was to support all French local water managers in evaluating the effects of climate change on their territory, to take them into account in local management plans and to implement no-regret adaptation measures despite existing uncertainties. The main target group was hence the SAGE (Schémas d’Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux – Water Development and Management Plan) and their CLE members (Commission Locale de l’Eau – Local Water Committee).
The main added-value of the project was expected to be the operational consideration of climate change adaptation at the local level, while supporting the long-term commitment of resource users. To this end, 4 strategic objectives were defined:
- empower local water managers, by providing them with tools adapted to:
- assess their territorial vulnerabilities
- plan their adaptation paths
- raise local awareness about climate change issues and adaptation action’s needs
- improve access to hydro-climatic data
- provide scientific support and expertise to appropriately use these data, by developing ‘hydro-climatic’ services, notably by mobilising research actors to accelerate the transfer and exchange of knowledge with local stakeholders involved in water management
- advise local managers on raising awareness of different target groups about climate change impacts on water, accelerating the deployment of the adaptation measures in the field, or developing a local territorial spirit concerning the necessary action of each single citizen
9 local water management structures were involved in the project as beneficiaries, supported by 5 technical and scientific partners. They were at different stages of reflection and levels of maturity regarding the integration of climate change impacts, current and future, in their water management plans. The most advanced partners have already carried out prospective studies concerning the availability of water resources, using different climatic and socio-economic scenarios. Some have also already developed their own river basin digital ‘twin’ to better anticipate the impact of climate change in their territory and to be more agile in informing the local policymakers in water availability changes. This wealth of experience has enabled permanent exchange and support between all the territorial partners, as well as between them and technical partners.
The project's objectives were in line with several European policies, especially the Water Framework Directive, the Flood Directive and the legal framework linked to adaptation to climate change (EU adaptation strategy to climate change, EU's commitment to fight against climate change, 2015 Paris agreement). By protecting some aquatic species habitats locally, the project has also contributed to the objectives of the Habitats Directive.
RESULTS
The project successfully developed and demonstrated a comprehensive methodological framework to support local water management stakeholders in addressing climate change adaptation. It equipped SAGE and the members of their CLE with practical tools and guidance to:
- assess local vulnerabilities
- plan adaptation pathways
- integrate climate considerations and concrete solutions into water planning documents such as the SAGEs (Schémas d'Aménagement et de Gestion des Eaux).
21 demonstration territories (out of the 192 French SAGE) were involved in the project, resulting in tangible adaptation strategies and greater stakeholder awareness of climate-related water challenges.
One first major achievement of the project was the development of 2 key decision-support tools: a diagnosis tool to evaluate territorial vulnerability and an adaptation pathway tool to support structured planning of climate adaptation measures. To address the need of local managers for more accessible hydroclimatic data, 2 new portals providing climatic services were developed: DRIAS-Eau and MEANDRE. The first is exhaustive and the second more guided and user-friendly but they both provide free access to pedagogical information, ready-to-use maps and indicators and complete downloadable datasets. The project also provided high-quality technical guidance through the publication of a ‘choose-your-adventure’ style White Paper allowing all the French actors, experts as well as non-experts in data management and climate change, to appropriately use hydro-climatic data. Finally, recommendations for mobilising efforts around climate change were published, and a library of experiences and good practices were developed.
All these tools were validated through extensive field testing and stakeholder involvement, engaging over 400 actors in dedicated information sessions, sometimes co-organised with the French water agencies. Moreover, to ensure broad replication and transfer, the project delivered targeted training and dissemination activities, involving more than 4 000 participants across over 110 events. Guidance documents, policy briefs and training modules were distributed widely in France and shared with water management bodies across Europe. The project also facilitated exchanges between researchers and practitioners, strengthening the bridge between science and operational water governance.
The project demonstrated a strong alignment with EU climate adaptation and water policies as well as with the French national water strategy. While its environmental impact was mainly indirect, it significantly increased the capacity of local actors to plan and anticipate climate change effects, laying the foundation for long-term resilience in water resource management.
