We have left behind the month of August during which we felt the impacts of climate change intensely. The flood disaster in the Black Sea region and forest fires in the Mediterranean coast brought the climate crisis to the agenda again, this time harsher.

While the fact that the increasing frequency and severity of the disasters caused by climate change increases the vulnerability of local communities, critical infrastructure and services, inequalities in the society are also deepening. Moreover, it also expands the difficulties in capacity and resource management encountered by local governments.

In order cities to enhance their climate resilience, local governments should attach importance to climate change adaptation activities, and local adaptation strategies and action plans should be prepared.

The 6th Assessment Report, prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and published on 9 August, narrates that the intensity and frequency of extreme temperatures will increase rapidly, extreme precipitation will become more frequent, and the amount of precipitation falling on the surface will increase.

Therefore, in the combat against climate change, it is of great importance for the climate-resilient cities to have the adaptation strategies and action plans with adaptation measures, comprising policy sectors including disaster risk management.

As part of the preparation of local climate change adaptation strategy and action plans under the Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation Action in Turkey Project, consultative meetings were held in Samsun on 19-20 August and in Muğla on 23-24 August.

Representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, municipalities, academia, private sector and civil society attended these meetings. During the two full-day events, the topics of data provision for vulnerability and risk assessment, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by cities in the climate change adaptation processes were discussed. Sessions on climate change adaptation goals and actions for the sectoral impacts of climate change were held for Samsun and Muğla under urban, biodiversity and ecosystem services, energy, industry, water resources, transportation, tourism and health topics. 

Due to the recently experienced disasters, disaster risk management was also discussed within the scope of adaptation to climate change. Stakeholders started to prepare strategies and plans on adaptation actions, measures and targets on the areas in which the vulnerability and risks of cities are high.

For more details on the Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation Action in Turkey Project: iklimeuyum.org