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Ready for Climate Change? An Assessment of Measures Adopted by 45 Mediterranean Coastal Cities to Face Climate Change

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Climate Change in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Region

Part of the book series: Climate Change Management ((CCM))

Abstract

The IPCC has warned that countries such as France, Spain, and Italy will need to strengthen their coastal defences against an increased frequency of storms and of higher sea level. This information should lead to urgent city action, especially from those in coastal areas such as in the Mediterranean. Are cities ready for the impact of climate change? This work examines practices adopted by 45 coastal Mediterranean cities in eight countries (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey) to address climate change, shedding light on initiatives being implemented and identifying areas lacking decisive action. The first source of data for this research was collected through information on the EU Covenant of Mayors website. Results show deficiencies in policy formulation and actions to respond to climate change through adaptation measures, while showing that cities are better at reduction in emissions and energy consumption. We also found that municipalities in the sample are more active in adapting to climate change when they have the support of programs at the national or European level.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Although Portugal is not strictly speaking a Mediterranean country, its proximity, its climate, social, and cultural characteristics have led us to include some of its cities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Relations and Global History, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Xira Ruiz-Campillo

  2. Complutense Institute of Administrative Sciences (ICCA), Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Olga Gil

  3. Department of Applied Economics, Public Economics and Political Economy, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Cristina García Fernández

Authors
  1. Xira Ruiz-Campillo
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  2. Olga Gil
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  3. Cristina García Fernández
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xira Ruiz-Campillo .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece

    Evangelos Manolas

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Ruiz-Campillo, X., Gil, O., García Fernández, C. (2022). Ready for Climate Change? An Assessment of Measures Adopted by 45 Mediterranean Coastal Cities to Face Climate Change. In: Leal Filho, W., Manolas, E. (eds) Climate Change in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Region. Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78566-6_13

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