A project set up to help European cities adapt to climate change has carried out its first coaching session in Gibraltar.

The EU Cities Adapt project, which is funded by the European Commission, aims to raise awareness throughout Europe of the importance of preparing for climate change in cities, share best practice and develop supporting guidance on adaptation.

Around 21 cities have been selected for the capacity building phase of the project which includes a training programme facilitated by experienced coaches. Gibraltar was the first to embark on the one-to-one coaching phase of the programme.

Ricardo-AEA's climate change impacts and adaptation specialist, Nikki Kent, led the coaching over three days to help environment officials, stakeholders and town planners in Gibraltar develop an effective climate change adaptation strategy.

Nikki led sessions with the newly-formed Gibraltar Adaptation Working Group on how to prepare for the adaptation planning process. She provided advice on how to collate information on potential climate change vulnerabilities in Gibraltar, and she reviewed the adaptation status of the city. During the trip, she also helped to identify the knowledge needed to support planning and management of local adaptation.

Nikki, who is the dedicated coach for Gibraltar over the next eight months said:

"We're very pleased to have started the EU Cities Adapt coaching sessions in Gibraltar. The dedication and enthusiasm of the team from Gibraltar's Department of the Environment will help to ensure their adaptation planning is robust. We look forward to working with other participating cities and helping them to develop climate change adaptation strategies that address the challenges in their particular location." 

Cities participating in the capacity building phase are:

Albertslund (Denmark), Ghent (Belgium), Lahti (Finland), Stirling (UK), Vilnius (Lithuania) , Alba (Italy), Bratislava (Slovakia), Padova (Italy), Sfantu Gheorghe (Romania), Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain), Almada (Portugal), Barcelona (Spain), Burgas (Bulgaria), Gibraltar, Zadar (Croatia), Dublin (Ireland), Malmo (Sweden), Birmingham (UK), Dresden (Germany), Ancona (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands)

Notes to editors:

EU Cities Adapt is an 18 month European project commissioned by the European Commission - Directorate General for Climate Action, coordinated by Ricardo-AEA  (United Kingdom) and ICLEI European Secretariat in partnership with Arcadis (Netherlands), University of Manchester (United Kingdom), Adelphi research (Germany), and Alexander Ballard Limited (United Kingdom).

To find out more about the project click here

To see coverage of the project in Gibraltar's daily press click here

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