CASCADE project aiming to increase local level resilience

CASCADE project aiming to increase local level resilience in the Baltic Sea Region

by Jutta Mäkinen| jutta.makinen@turku.fi

Climate change is already here, and we have no other choice but to start preparing, adapting, and dealing with the consequences. The risks related to climate change are not only the concern for professionals engaged with sustainable development. It is becoming more evident each year that climate change is an emerging security threat, and a field in need of involvement from civil protection specialists as well as climate change experts.

The CASCADE project brought together civil protection professionals and climate change adaptation experts to build urban resilience in cities and towns, as well as the overall macro–regional resilience. Among the nine partners of the CASCADE project, there are three UBC member cities and the Safe Cities Commission, and the Sustainable Cities Commission involved. • Train personnel on this using the training materials on increasing capacity and preparedness • Learn how others have approached climate change based on a selection of case studies and recommendations • Browse a collection of other useful links on the topic

Final results and toolbox will be available soon! Follow news and updates from the project: cascade-bsr.eu

CASCADE is a Flagship project of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region under Policy Area Secure. Funding Programme: DG ECHO (European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid)

Contact: Jutta Mäkinen, Communications and Network Manager, Sustainable Cities Commission jutta.makinen@turku.fi

The project set to create improved capacity to understand, assess, and treat current and future climate change related risks on the local level, focusing on the Baltic Sea Region conditions. The project results aim to increase practical risk management capabilities of local authorities, creating positive cascading effects through easily customized training materials to enhance the capacity of urban communities.

All the CASCADE project results are collected to a Toolbox for Climate Risk Preparedness, consisting of simple, easyto-use checklists, templates, and useful examples for cities to use. The toolbox will allow cities to:

• Assess climate change-related risks and threats in your community • Carry out an integrated climate risk assessment, based on scientific methods and best practices Insights and results from the project were also introduced to the UBC network through the first UBC TALKS webinar of 2021 co-hosted by the UBC Safe Cities and Sustainable Cities Commissions.

Summary, presentations, and full recording from UBC TALKS about climate hazards and how to build resilient cities can be accessed here: ubc-sustainable.net/news/ubc-talks-discussed-cascading-consequences-climate-hazards-and-how-make-cities-more-resilient