National, Sectoral and Transnational Vulnerability and Risk Assessments

1. National, Sectoral and Transnational Vulnerability and Risk Assessments Building on past dialogues Tuesday, 24th June 2014 8th EIONET Workshop on Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation

2. Learning from Experiences of Others Previous dialogues: • Dialogue on National Climate Change Assessments” organized by UKCIP (6-7 February 2013) • Workshop “Cross-sectoral Vulnerability, Risk and Economic Assessments of Climate Change Impacts – What is needed for adaptation strategies?” organized by CIRCLE2 (11 February 2014, Berlin) Identified aspects of the assessment and assessment process where sharing lessons, experiences and challenges are needed and have been effective.  These have considered: • Nature, scope and purpose of assessments, including target audiences, outputs, and delivery mechanisms and scope of the effort; and dissemination and using assessments, including understanding the intended use, and enhancing and evaluating the impacts of the assessment.

3. Learning from Experiences of Others Understanding the nature, scope and purpose of the assessment • Need to be clear as to the purpose of the assessment – is it an assessment about raising awareness of the implications of climate change and the need for action or is its primary purpose to inform adaptation policy • There are advantages to including other important stresses and socio-economic change within the assessment as results and conclusions will be more robust • It is important to define the intended audience and at what level (national to local) the assessment is targeted.  • The assessment should be structured around issues/concern relevant to the intended audience (e.g., issues of concern to users and/or policy issues) to ensure it is useful – including information on current impacts and addressing the existing adaptation deficit.

4. Learning from Experiences of Others Dissemination and using assessments • Care in communications to prevent misinterpretation and to ensure results is relevant and fit-for-purpose (this understanding is critical to success). • There are methods and approaches for bringing into the assessment both sector and/or cross-sector components within an assessment – system and service-oriented assessment that will increase the relevance of the assessment – linked to integration and engagement. • Understanding how the assessment is used – few, if anyone, reads an entire assessment – dissemination must take this into account and should include guidance on effective use of the assessment. • Outputs must be easily accessible – including access to the underlying data (transparency).

5. Learning from Experiences of Others Undertaking the assessment can be as, or more, important than the results – the process can be used to achieve the desired impacts/benefits • Need for strategies and specific efforts to maintain the assessment process as policy/economic drivers and context are changing – funding and organisational capacity. • Enabling a large network of organisations to undertake and deliver the assessment – value of adopts an adaptation process that promotes and recognises engagement

6. Learning from Experiences of Others Measuring Success – impact relative to intended purpose • Understanding who is using the assessment and for what purposes – targeted and unintended audiences • Attributing responses to the assessment • Need for an evaluation framework (criteria and metrics) and systematically document users, and impacts and outcomes • Include incentives for users to demonstrate use and value of assessment Recognition of the value of sharing experiences, challenges and lessons learnt • An effective means of enhancing the quality and saliency of national assessments and the efficacy of the assessment process • Expressed interest in broadening the participation in these types of dialogues