The Basque Country promotes actions to tackle climate change and starts work on adapting Zarautz beach
12/12/2024
Regional Minister Mikel Jauregi visited the Narros - Munoa area with the mayor, Xabier Txurruka, where work will be carried out to protect the natural environment and urban infrastructures.
Zarautz beach, the longest on the Basque coast at 2,300 metres, faces a significant challenge due to rising sea levels; inaction would mean losing about 21,000 m2 by 2050, which represents about 30% of its surface area.
The actions planned to reduce the effect of waves in the area, improve access and protect the promenade will have a budget of €1.5 million and should be completed within a period of 12 months. These actions are part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project, the largest climate action project in the Basque Country.
The Regional Minister for Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, together with the Mayor of Zarautz, Xabier Txurruka, visited the area this morning where action is planned to adapt the urban coastline to rising sea levels and the risk of waves as a result of climate change. The intervention is part of the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050project, the largest climate action project in the Basque Country, which is backed by the European Union and coordinated by Ihobe, the Basque Government's public environmental management company, in collaboration with more than twenty other organisations.
During the visit, Jauregi stressed the importance of these interventions to “minimise the effects of rising sea levels, which, when combined with more intense waves, are having an increasingly damaging effect on this area”. He warned that, “by 2050, the scientific community predicts that there will be a 26 cm rise in sea level and, by 2100, the rise will be between 51 cm and 1 m in the Basque Country”, and reminded us that, “around 60% of the Basque population lives in coastal areas such as Zarautz, meaning that 6 out of 10 people could be affected by impacts on the coast”.
According to the Regional Minister, it is “time for action” and we need to avoid the possibility of facing millions in losses due to the impact of coastal storms, which will become more frequent and more extreme. He went on to highlight the Basque Government's commitment to climate action through the Law on Energy Transition and Climate Change, which was passed in February 2024. “Mitigation and adaptation actions such as those planned along our coast are essential when it comes to making our territory more resilient,” he said.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Zarautz, Xabier Txurruka, stressed “the urgent need to implement these measures that will help to protect the Zarautz coastline, an area of intense, diverse activity throughout the year”. During the visit, they were accompanied by Josu Bilbao, Deputy Minister for the Environment and Adolfo Uriarte, the Basque Government’s Director of Natural Heritage and Climate Change, along with Alexander Boto, Director General of Ihobe and Mari Mar Alonso, Director of Climate Action.
Actions planned in Narros-Munoa
Zarautz beach, the longest beach on the Basque coast at 2,100 metres, faces significant challenges due to rising sea levels and the intensity of the waves. Extreme events such as the storm in 2014 that caused serious damage to the seawall are becoming more frequent.
According to data from the Kostaegoki project, which analyses vulnerability and risk along the Basque coastline, in absolute terms, inaction in this area would mean that Zarautz beach would lose about 21,000 m2 by 2050, and between 40,000 and 57,000 m2 by the year 2100.
In relative terms, it would be among the top 10 beaches affected, and could lose 30% of its surface area by 2050, and between 65% and 90% by 2100. At the same time, projected climate scenarios estimate that 4 hectares of residential land could be affected in 2050, increasing to between 5 and 7 hectares by 2100, representing 2%, 3% and 4% respectively of the total residential area. The changes in sandy areas as a consequence of the effects of climate change translate into potential economic impacts due to losses in recreational use, but more importantly, their retreat will result in a greater lack of protection for structures and buildings along this stretch of coastline. Removing infrastructures that stand on the beach will make the distribution of sand in the areas affected more natural, thereby providing greater protection for the elements built along the beach front.
In order to respond to this situation, following a detailed analysis of the alternatives for action, Ihobe, through the LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050 project, has drawn up a project that defines key actions to mitigate these impacts and protect both the natural environment and urban infrastructures.
Zarautz Town Council will put the works out to tender with a budget of 1.5 million euros and an approximate completion period of 12 months. These measures will start to be implemented along the Narros-Munoa front, which is the most problematic area, as several hotel and catering establishments and businesses are located there. The first phase involves remodelling the access ways to the western area of the beach, by demolishing the steps that go down from Plaza Munoa to the dry beach, along with the cantilever over the promenade. The promenade will also be raised to improve safety and accessibility and to prevent flooding and structural damage.
As well as demolishing the steps and cantilever, the project will remove the first access to the beach (steps and ramp). A new ramp access will be built within the promenade and the promenade will be raised by 0.50 metres over a 158 metre stretch. Moreover, the promenade will be protected from the waves by a breakwater wall. The aim of this redevelopment is to improve coastal resilience and public safety from the effects of climate change.
The project was designed with the support of an inter-institutional coordination committee involving the Basque Government, Gipuzkoa Provincial Council, Zarautz City Council, Ihobe and other organisations such as AZTI and the Basque Association of Civil Engineers. This is a good example of climate governance that can be transferred to other sites which may need to undergo further adaptation actions.
LIFE IP Urban Klima 2050
The action on the urban coast of Zarautz will be possible thanks to the European Commission extending the Life IP Urban Klima 2050 project for another year up to the end of 2026, making it possible to undertake these new actions and achieve a more resilient territory. To date, the project coordinated by Ihobe has invested 13,879,000 euros, which represents 70% of the total amount initially planned for the 40 actions included in the climate adaptation project.
As things stand, 80% of the actions included in the project are fully underway, as per the schedule, and 10% of the actions planned have been completed, including the regeneration of the coastal area of Tonpoi (Bermeo), the design of corrective measures aimed at reinforcing the seawall in the Port of Ondarroa, and the actions proposed to maximise the protection of urban environments near ports in the Basque Country.
Urban Klima 2050 is led by the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government, through the public company Ihobe, which works alongside 24 partner entities, including two other departments of the Basque Government (the Department of Health and the Directorate of Ports and Maritime Affairs), the three provincial councils, the councils of Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Donostia/San Sebastian, Bakio, Bermeo, Gernika-Lumo and Zarautz, the Basque Government's public companies (EVE, BEC Solar, Euskalmet, CADEM and URA), as well as technology and research centres (AZTI, BC3, Neiker, Tecnalia and Tecnun), the Naturklima Foundation and the Centre for Environmental Studies-CEA in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
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