Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of the Dolynska City Territorial Community of
Kirovohradskiy Region
On February 02, 2024, a regular meeting of the fiftieth session of the eighth convocation of the Dolynska City Council of Kirovohradskiy Region was held at the premises of the Dolynska City Council, which approved the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of the Dolynska City Territorial Community of Kirovohrad Oblast and recommendations for adaptation and green recovery measures.
The document was developed by the Working Group, which was approved by the order of Mayor Iyevheniy Zvizdovsky No. 298 of August 25, 2023.
As part of the Working Group's work, vulnerability assessments were also conducted for such climate risks as extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme precipitation: heavy rains, hail, snowfall, floods (rising water levels), drought, forest fires, infectious diseases and allergic manifestations, chemical, and radioactive pollution.
Also noted that accoding primary data from specialists of the Dolynska Meteorological Station, showed that from 1948 to 2022, the average annual temperature increased by 6 degrees Celsius.
The vulnerability assessment is the first strategic planning document in the Dolynska community to implement climate change adaptation measures.
This cooperation made it possible to plan joint activities to implement projects and measures soon to:
- creating conditions for the autonomy and independence of municipal educational and healthcare institutions of the community from centralized power supply by equipping them with solar panels
- effective development of a waste management system in the community, elimination of unauthorized landfills in the community, construction of a new landfill that meets environmental safety requirements;
- creating conditions for providing the community with clean drinking water;
- preservation and development of natural areas, both outside and within the settlements;
- development of adapted agriculture and forestry.
This document was created in cooperation with the Center for Environmental Initiatives "Ecodia" with the financial support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action as part of the International Climate Initiative (CI) project "Strengthening Civil Society in the Implementation of National Climate Policy.
Catalog of nature-based solutions as an example for communities to implement climate change adaptation measures
The vulnerability of territorial communities to climate change is increasingly affecting sectors such as energy, housing, infrastructure, agriculture, and water management. Communities can be particularly affected by lack of drinking water, droughts and heat stress, and the unpreparedness of existing infrastructure for natural disasters. Inclusion of climate change adaptation in community development planning is key to effective response and preparedness for these phenomena.
According to a survey conducted by the Ukrainian Climate Network in 2020, 93% of Ukrainians believe that adaptation measures are needed in cities and communities. Most want to increase the area of green spaces and improve sewage systems.
Whenever possible, adaptation should prioritize nature-based solutions (NBS), which help combat climate change through the protection, sustainable management and restoration of natural ecosystems. Experts of the NGO "Center for International Cooperation and Project Implementation" together with other NGOs from the Ukrainian Climate Network have collected 25 variants of such solutions in the Catalog of Nature-based Solutions. Each solution is described according to several criteria: benefits from the implementation of NBS, care features, financial component, and examples of their use in different countries.
The NBS Catalog will be useful for developing local adaptation strategies and finding possible solutions.
