National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.

The National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change's is a national multi sectoral strategy of Italy whose main objective is to develop a national vision on the common pathways to be taken to cope with climate change, counteracting and mitigating its impact. To this end, the Strategy identifies actions and directions to minimize the risks deriving from climate change, protect the health, well-being and property of the population, preserve natural heritage, maintain or enhance the resilience and adaptive capacity of natural, social and economic systems as well as take advantage of any opportunities that may arise with new climatic conditions.
In order to achieve its objective, this document defines 5 strategic axes of action aimed at: 1. improve current knowledge on climate change and its impacts; 2. describe the vulnerability of the territory, the adaptation options for all natural systems and relevant socio-economic sectors, and the possible associated opportunities; 3. promote the participation and increase the awareness of stakeholders in the definition of sectoral adaptation strategies and plans through a broad process of communication and dialogue, also with a view to integrating adaptation within the sector policies in a more effective way; 4. support awareness and information on adaptation through widespread communication on the possible hazards, risks and opportunities arising from climate change; specifying the tools to be used to identify the best options for adaptation actions, also highlighting co-benefits.
The Strategy covers a series of areas that were selected and examined according to a sectoral approach that considered their socio-economic and environmental relevance as well as their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change. They are: water resources, desertification, land degradation and droughts, hydrogeological instability, biodiversity and ecosystems, forests, agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries, coastal zones, tourism, health, urban settlements, critical infrastructure, energy, plus the special cases of Alpine and Apennine areas and the Po River Hydrographic District. The identified actions and adaptation measures are those that are considered most urgent and potentially most effective in order to strengthen the capacity of vulnerable systems to deal with the additional risks that climate change will bring, promoting, at the same time, their resilience.