The SOCLIMPACT project aims at modelling downscaled Climate Change effects and their economic impacts in European islands and archipelagos for 2030 – 2100 in the context of the EU Blue Economy, and assess corresponding decarbonisation and adaptation pathways, thus complementing current available projections for Europe, and nourishing actual economic models with non-market assessment.

More specifically, this main objective unfolds into 5 sub-objectives:

Objective 1. Develop a thorough understanding on how Climate Change will impact the EU islands located in different regions of the world, considering their specific vulnerability, thus improving the existing climate impact models for Europe by:
o Proposing coupled ocean-atmosphere RCM climate runs forced by CMIP5 GCMs (CORDEX),
consistent with low carbon emission pathways (RCP2.6 - effectively mitigated scenario),
late-action scenario (RCP4.5) and non-action scenario (RCP8.5), therefore improving the
understanding of island climate and its relationship with oceanic circulation.
o Proposing high resolution Climate Change impact runs, ranging from sea-level rise to
changes in ocean temperature and salinity, allowing an assessment of the impact of Climate
Change on the Blue Economy.

Objective 2. Contribute to the improvement of the economic valuation of climate impacts and related policies for the EU´s Blue Economy sectors, by adopting revealed and stated preference methods
(Discrete Choice Experiments - DCE), to measure and analyse, on one hand, the non-market costs
of different Climate Change scenarios, and on the other hand, the non-market benefits of climate
actions (mitigation and adaptation).

Objective 3. Increase the effectiveness of the economic modelling of climate impact chains, through the implementation of an integrated methodological framework (GINFORS, GEM-E3 and nonmarket
indicators), in the analysis of climate-induced socioeconomic impacts in 11 EU islands case studies, under different climate scenarios for 2030-2100, with a cross-sectorial perspective (EU Blue Economy sectors), providing a step further to the results of the PESETA project.

Objective 4. Facilitate climate-related policy decision making for Blue Growth, by ranking and mapping the more appropriate and viable mitigation, adaptation and risk management strategies, and building a common framework for the governance of Blue Economy sectors with a permanent regional information exchange system (REIS) for Europe and EU islands.

Objective 5. Deliver, through innovative decision-making support tools, downscaled and accurate information to policy makers, practitioners and other relevant stakeholders, about the environmental and socio-economic consequences of global Climate Change in the EU Blue Economy, and formulate
science-based recommendations to incentivise the EU islands´ medium to long-term low-carbon
transition, thus strengthening science-policy interface, increase social awareness, and contribute
to the competitiveness of the European coastal and maritime industry.

By developing a work programme corresponding to the above objectives, SOCLIMPACT aims at allowing decision makers from all Small Island Member States and other EU islands and Outermost Regions, to get a sound knowledge about the possible climate induced impact chains, and a comprehensive evidence-based framework for research and policy. By using EU islands as living labs with a high replicability potential, SOCLIMPACT will provide stronger methodologies to better measure and asses the associated costs, benefits and risks of global Climate Change in other EU coastal regions.

Contacts:

Prof Despina Serghides, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dr George Zittis, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dr Elias Giannakis, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel. +357 222 08700