Developing Local Coastal Adaptation

Strategies to
Climate Change across North West Europe:
How IMCORE is addressing the Challenges
Stefan Gray, Val Cummins &
Jeremy Gault
 Overview

• Introduction to the IMCORE

project

• The challenges of local scale

climate adaptation

• The IMCORE approach to

meeting these challenges
 An introduction to the
IMCORE project
• Aim of the project: To build adaptive capacity at the local
The Expert Couplet Nodes
level in the coastal zones of north west Europe.
Facts & Figures

• Project Composition
― 9 Case Study Sites
―17 Partners / 5 member state
― 8 Research Centres
― 6 local authorities (+ 4
partners)
― 2 umbrella associations
LOCAL AUTHORITY BODIES ― 1 SME

• Project Duration 42 months:

― May 08 ~ November 201

RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
• Total Funding €5,993,550
― ERDF €2,996,775 (50%)
 An introduction to the
IMCORE project
What the IMCORE project seeks to
achieve:

SLR/erosion
Coastal
inundation
Exploratory
scenarios
SLR/erosion Visualisation
Coastal Tourism,
inundation aquaculture
Exploratory
SLR/erosion
scenarios
Coastal
Visualisation inundation
Industry/port Normative
facilities scenarios
Visualisation

Networked experimentation and

Tourism, industry
The challenges of local scale
climate adaptation
 The challenges of local scale
climate adaptation
• The urgency
Instances of the in
of flooding issue
Cork per decade

(Adapted from Tyrrell &

Hickey, 1991)
 The challenges of local scale
climate adaptation
• Confusion: Mitigation vs. Adaptation

T
I
D
E
R
A
I
N

IPCC AR4, 2007: “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is

now evident from observations of increases in global average air and
ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising
global mean sea level.”
(Adapted from Tyrrell &
Hickey, 1991)
 The challenges of local scale
climate adaptation
• Why should we adapt?
 The challenges of local scale
climate adaptation
Why should we adapt?

Courtesy of Prof Robert Devoy, UCC

We always have, why stop now?

 The IMCORE approach
to meeting these challenges
The IMCORE approach: 5
steps
 The IMCORE approach
to meeting these challenges
The Cork Expert Couplet
Node
1.Expert Couplet

Formulating a
strategy:
Nodes
Cork Harbour ‘Couplet’
 The IMCORE approach
to meeting these challenges
Issues Workshop, May
2009

Formulating a
strategy:
2.Issue Identification

The output from this workshop and the process of organising the workshop, as for
all nine workshops, has been centrally collated into a single project output for
dissemination
 The IMCORE approach
to meeting these challenges
Scenario Workshop, April
2010and
3.Scenarios

Formulating a
strategy:
Visualisation

The output from this workshop and the process of organising the workshop, as for
all nine workshops, has been centrally collated into a single project output for
dissemination
 The IMCORE approach
to meeting these challenges

Formulating a
strategy:
 Conclusions

• The methodologies we’re trialling are proving to be

useful tools of adaptation at the local scale
• As the project continues, we’ll learn more about
which approach is most practical and effective in a
given coastal context
• The outputs of the project are ultimately intended
to support local climate adaptation in coastal zones
throughout Europe and beyond – watch this space!
 Contact

www.imcore.eu
Jeremy Gault
IMCORE Project
Manager

CMRC
University College Cork
Naval Base
Haulbowline
Cobh
Co. Cork
Ireland

Tel: +353 21 4703108

Mail: j.gault@ucc.ie