Implementing IPCC risk and vulnerability assessment: sectoral considerations and methodological transition to national and regional scale

National and/or regional climate risk and vulnerability assessments are a key starting point for effective climate change adaptation planning and policy formulation. In Slovenia, the process of adopting and implementing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) risk and vulnerability assessment methodology from the Fifth Assessment Report started by outlining a proposed framework for national application, highlighting the key methodological considerations and the necessary transition from previous assessment approaches. It was important to address the shift from outdated ways from the Fourth Assessment Report that have already been used in some regions on project basis and to suggest how to update them. Some common mistakes and misunderstandings in existing vulnerability and risk assessments were pointed out to avoid them in future assessments. Furthermore, on the national level, the most important sectors have been chosen that a national assessment needs to focus on – from agriculture and forestry, water resources, public health to infrastructure and some horizontal interactions among them. Specific challenges within each sector and especially those arising in cross-sectoral areas have to be discussed when applying the IPCC framework, considering issues such as data availability, stakeholder engagement and awareness about climate change, and the integration of socio-economic factors. This includes being realistic about the data availability and reliability, the challenges of fitting together data from different sources and time periods and the crucial role of getting everyone from the specific sector involved. Fortunately, we have very good climate trends and projections data on the national level to describe the majority of climate hazards. We have explored how to better combine climate science with social and economic information in the regions to get a complete picture of the risks at the national and regional level. Our goal was to give policymakers, researchers, and people working in a specific sector a clearer understanding of the steps needed to make good decisions, build resilience in key areas, and create a more climate-safe future for the country.

The research was funded by Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency, Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy and Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development in the frame of the research project V1-24022.