Climate Change Mitigation-project is aiming for determining overall potential, opportunities and the main areas for Climate Change Mitigation in the Barents Region. It is funded by the NCM Arctic Programme and supported by the BEAC Working Group on Environment.
The project continues the work of Action Plan on Climate Change for the Barents cooperation which was adopted in 2013. In the Action Plan four policy areas are set forth: Mitigation, Adaptation, Research and Outreach. The project is aiming to develop the cooperation in the first area – Climate Change Mitigation. Climate change in the Arctic is more visible than anywhere else. The temperatures have been rising twice as fast as in other places. Permafrost is thawing and the sea level is rising. The changes in the Arctic are not tied only to Arctic – they are interconnected with the rest of the world. The impacts of climate change do not only affect the environment, but the whole society.
The Climate Change Mitigation-project will work as a model for the regions in the Arctic. It aims to develop recommendations on formulating and implementing regional climate strategies that address climate change adaptation and mitigation in regionally specific proportions.
Project is funded by NordRegio from Nordic Council of Ministers Arctic Cooperation Program. The funding is 300.000 DKK. Co-financing from both Nordic and Russian partners is awaited. The funding will be allocated for networking activities, such as seminars, workshops and a study visit to Sweden, as well as mapping of sources of greenhouse gas emissions in a pilot settlement of Arkhangelsk region.
• Norrbotten County Administration, Sweden (Lead Partner);
• Swedish Environmental Protection Agency;
• Ministry of the Environment of Finland;
• Arctic Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland;
• International Barents Secretariat, Kirkenes, Norway;
• Ministry of Natural Resources and Timber Industry Complex of Arkhangelsk Region, Russia;
• Environmental Investment Centre, Arkhangelsk, Russia;
• Northern Institute of Forestry, Arkhangelsk, Russia.
The first step in the project is to identify the main anthropogenic sources of greenhouse gases and black carbon emissions as well as of their natural sinks with the preparation of the relevant inventories where main corresponding emissions and absorption should be carefully estimated and quantified. This is an essential prerequisite for creating a regional climate strategy.
The second step as a follow-up of the project is the estimation of the potential for reducing GHG and SLCPs emissions and for increasing the ecosystems absorption capacity. The obtained results would make it possible to develop climate change mitigation recommendations to be further included in the climate strategies of the mentioned above Russian Barents regions.
The project will contribute to the development of Nordic-Russian cooperation in the field of culture, education, and scientific research. It will facilitate the exchange of knowledge, expertise and skills, and helps to establish relations between partner organizations in Nordic countries and North-West Russia aiming to enhance the level of expertise and to develop networking.
