Abstract
Adaptation to climate change means adjustment of human and natural systems to climatic actual or expected events, in order to minimize damage or maximize benefit. Adaptation implies involvement, coordination, and cooperation of different actors and sectors. Multi-actor collaboration usually characterizes the drafting of regional plans, which act as bridges between national and local administrative levels. Regional administrations address resilience issues, through spatial planning processes. This study focuses on the regional plans adopted by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy), south European Mediterranean region, an area that will be negatively affected by climate change in the coming decades. We aim at proposing a method for scrutinizing regional plans related to spatial planning issues, by using criteria rooted in the scientific literature and adaptation strategies. We found out that (i) the scientific literature did not sufficiently address the role of regional plans in the context of adaptation to climate change and (ii) the method proposed and applied in this study highlights whether some key adaptation issues are included in the plans, and might make aware planners and policy makers of basic information concerning the interplay ‘regional planning vs. adaptation to climate change’.
Highlights
The increase of the Earth’s surface average temperature has characterized recent decades [1,2]
This study focuses on the regional plans adopted by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Italy), south European Mediterranean region, an area that will be negatively affected by climate change in the coming decades
We selected and analyzed six regional plans closely related to spatial planning and whose contents should be translated in actions by local bodies
Summary
The increase of the Earth’s surface average temperature has characterized recent decades [1,2]. Adaptation to climate change (ACC) means adjustment of human and natural systems to climatic actual or expected events, in order to minimize damage or maximize benefit [7]. ACC can be ‘autonomous’, as voluntary reaction of private actors and public bodies to climate change, or ‘planned’, which consists of policies, plans and measures designed to increase the resilience of society [8]. The planned adaptation has been acknowledged by scholars as matter of multi-level governance [8,9]. Scholars acknowledged that effective ACC could be achieved through both multi-level and multi-sectoral approaches [11,12], the effectiveness of the multi-level governance in addressing the human-ecological systems cannot be guaranteed [13]. According to Dannevig and Aall [8], excluding a few scholars, academic research has dealt with the regional adaptation governance with limited attention, while more attention has been paid to national and local governance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
