Clim-ATIC was a three year, 2.4 Euro million international project that was awarded project funding of 60% by the European Commission's Northern Periphery Programme.
The project ran from 1st March 2008 to 28th February 2011 and involved community stakeholders working in partnership with public sector and academic institutions from Scotland, Sweden, Norway, Greenland and Finland, to explore the potential for different community sectors to develop climate change adaptation capacity, and deliver real climate change adaptations that provided local economic and social advantages.
Clim-ATIC's overall objective was to establish a service that provided information, training and advice to communities, small businesses, and local administrations across the Northern Periphery who wish to significantly increase their capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
This new service can now be accessed via www.climatechangeadaptation.info
To achieve this overall objective, and build the necessary knowledge, the project undertook a range of key activities over the three-year period with 10 communities (2 from each of the five participating regions), and their appropriate community stakeholders.
These activities were divided into the key stages of a recommended adaptation process:
1. Vulnerability assessment:
- A comprehensive review of the likely short and long-term implications of climate change on a number of specific rural communities in each partner region
- Develop climate change vulnerability scenarios using existing climate change data and models, social change scenarios, and local knowledge and experience
- Identify the barriers and opportunities for rural communities that wish to adapt to climate change
2. Development of a (Community) Climate Change Adaptation Strategy by the participating communities.
3. The planning, delivery and evaluation of up to 12 complementary adaptation demonstration projects by communities and their stakeholders.
Clim-ATIC was led and managed by the Centre for Mountain Studies with the support of the University of the Highlands and Islands, and key partners from academic and public sector organisations in other participating regions.
The project was principally coordinated by Clive Bowman of the Centre for Mountain Studies, based at Perth College UHI. He can be contacted on clive.bowman@perth.uhi.ac.uk for more information.