STAR2Cs

Short Term Adaptation for Long Term Resilience to Climate Change
Priority Axis
Adaptation to Climate ChangeSpecific objective
Adaptation to Climate Change
Lead partner
Kent County CouncilContact
Begindatum
13/07/2017Einddatum
31/08/2021Project budget
4 380 191 €ERDF amount
2 628 115 €ERDF rate
60%Over
Common challenge
With climate change, flooding will likely become more frequent and severe with damages in Europe reaching €23.5bn by 2050. Given floods are already costly to 2 Seas area, there is clear need to take proactive action to reduce the impacts of future flooding on our ecosystems, communities and economies. Member States have developed national adaptation strategies identifying such action. However, local authorities and regional agencies tasked with implement them are finding it challenging to deliver tangible adaptation measures. This difficulty is driven by a systemic failure to engage local stakeholders responsible for planning and decision making with adaptation due to several barriers including lack of: understanding of long-term costs/benefits, relevant tools and capabilities to support decision making and funding for perceived ‘future’ investments. Thus, there is little appetite or ability to deliver local adaptation, creating an ‘implementation gap’ between strategy and real change.
Overall objective
Main outputs
Cross border approach
Main Achievements
STAR2Cs brings together 8 partners to overcome similar challenges across the 2 seas in increasing climate change adaptation. The project is developing and testing a model and supporting tools to help deliver local adaptation, including an e-tool to support adaptive planning, a knowledge and capacity building service to increase participation in 'future proofed' decision making and 8 implementation pathways to deliver local adaptation. Good progress has been made towards development of key outputs in year one through three cross-border workshops and launch of local pilots.
Overall, the project is performing well in both activity and fianance and is proceeding according to forecast.
In WP1, LP procured a consultant to help develop the Adaptation Catalyst (O1) and supporting evidence reports,. In WP2, PP2 started work on the Knowledge Service (O2) and stakeholder engagement with target groups has begun through workshops and events.
In their pilots (WP3), partners have made significant progress. LP has begun assessing public sector adaptation capacity in Kent, PP2 undertook an evaluation of the Maarkebeek. PP4 has completed 5 system models, with 25 in development, and data has been gathered to inform WP1 evidence bases (D1.1.1 and D1.1.2). PP5 undertook a climate stress test and analysed adaptation best practice feeding in learning to the Adaptation Catalyst (O1). PP6 has identified new types of infrastructure to improve local flood management. PP7 is using the evaluation work from PP2 in the Maarkebeek to plan activity in the Zwalm. PP8 is using partner experience to plan new approaches to building in flood risk areas. PP9 has completed GIS mapping of 5 areas of the Dender and held workshops to develop the pilot activity.
Partners established management processes (WP4) and are delivering communication activities (posters and workshops, strategy and tracker) (WP5).
By participating in STAR2Cs, partners are already seeing increased buy-in from managers and other projects/organisations, who see the benefits that this project and crossborder cooperation can have on identifying and implementing solutions to common challenges, like adapting to climate change.