Alava exposed to more droughts and heavy rainfall due to climate change
15/11/2024
Mari Mar Alonso, Director of Climate Action at Ihobe, explained the actions of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project for adapting to climate change on Cadena SER Vitoria.
Climate change will bring major challenges for Alava in the coming years, as Mari Mar Alonso, Director of Climate Action at Ihobe, explained in a recent appearance on Cadena SER Vitoria. Alonso explained that the Basque Country faces four main climate threats: “increasing temperatures, which cause heat waves and heat islands; drought; river flooding; and another threat that does not affect Alava but which is also important, namely coastal flooding”.
The Basque Country is already experiencing an upward trend in temperatures. “There is a global increase in temperature of 1°C compared to the period between 1970 and 2000. This increase has led to a rise in indicators such as the number of days with temperatures over 35ºC and hot nights, which affect our quality of life and our health,” said Alonso. However, there are scenarios that involve greater uncertainty, particularly as far as rainfall is concerned. “Climate scenarios point to a reduction in rainfall of around 15%, a figure which is higher in summer, although these scenarios are more uncertain”.
The situation is particularly worrying in Alava, where more intense drought patterns have been seen compared to other regions in the Basque Country. “In Alava, the maximum indicator of consecutive dry days is 20% higher than in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa,” she explained. As climate change evolves, adaptation measures become essential and need to be tailored to the specific nature of each territory. “What we are seeing is that adaptation measures need to be very localised. A flash flood in an artificialised area will not have the same effect as in a natural area”.
Following the effects of the DANA in Valencia, Alonso stressed the importance of strengthening early warning systems and coordination between institutions, and of raising public awareness on tackling these challenges. “The best adaptation measures are those that strengthen early warning systems and inter-institutional coordination, and raise public awareness”.
The role of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project
In this context, the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project, led by Ihobe, is playing a crucial role in the climate change adaptation process in the Basque Country. “In Gasteiz, Ihobe is putting nature-based solutions in place, in conjunction with the city council and the Centre for Environmental Studies, such as renaturing certain areas, to make cities more permeable and improve the thermal comfort of wooded areas”, Alonso went on. These solutions replenish aquifers and prepare urban environments for extreme weather events. Moreover, the project has also promoted the regeneration of riverbanks along the River Nervión, with Alava Provincial Council and URA, the Basque Water Agency, .
As Urban Klima 2050 explained, “it has been a driving force in the deployment of the Basque Country's climate strategy”. In addition to the actions in Vitoria-Gasteiz, work is being carried out with Bilbao and Donostia/San Sebastian city councils and Bakio town council on more interventions “in Bilbao, with amendments to the general plan in Punta Zorrotza, in San Sebastian, with renewable energies, and in Bakio, with the creation of an urban wetland, among others”, Alonso explained. This work will make it possible to experiment with solutions that can be replicated in other areas of the region to build a more resilient Basque Country.
Basque society is increasingly aware of the effects of climate change
Public awareness of climate change is a fundamental pillar. According to the latest Climate and Energy Ecobarometer, “in the Basque Country we are both concerned and preoccupied by climate change”, stressed Alonso. Basque society is aware of climate impacts, such as heat waves, rising sea levels and more frequent flooding, and understands the need for co-responsibility in adapting to climate change. “The challenge that lies ahead of us is to get citizens to make a commitment to co-responsibility through small gestures,” she concluded.
