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The intensification of extreme events due climate change and sea-level rise are major challenges to be urgently addressed by Europe's coastal cities. Coastal hazards have the potential to cause significant damage to coastal communities. Nevertheless, various other climate-related hazards also pose imminent threats. This review paper examines the impacts of climate change on ten European coastal cities by means of a participatory process involving the coastal cities and the review of existing literature. Local expertise is included through the novel concept of Coastal City Living Lab. The study also leverages bibliometric analysis of the Scopus and Web of Science databases, along with a desk review of climate-change related institutions and agencies at international, national, regional and local levels. By combining scientific literature analysis with insights from local experts, this research provides a comprehensive overview of the current situation of these diverse cities in relation to multiple climate-related hazards, which can be extrapolated to other cities. There is a scarcity of scientific data for some of the cities, hence collaboration with the CCLLs was crucial. Results serve as a valuable baseline for future works, introducing detail studies focusing on various climate-related challenges. This paper not only contributes novel insights by including the perceptions of local partners but also offers a unique perspective on the complex nature of climate change impacts at city level. • Comprehensive understanding of climate change impacts on coastal cities through multifaceted methodology. • Systematic scientific literature review of Scopus and Web of Science databases. • Local expertise from a collaborative process involving ten diverse European coastal cities. • Unique perspective on the complex nature of climate change impacts at city level. • Baseline for risk assessments and adaptation strategies considering multiple climate-related hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are gaining prominence committing to respond to the threat of climate change, e.g., by developing local climate plans or strategies. However, little is known regarding the approaches and processes of plan development and implementation, or the success and effectiveness of proposed measures. Mainstreaming is regarded as one approach associated with (implementation) success, but the extent of integration of local climate policies and plans in ongoing sectoral and/or development planning is unclear. This paper analyses 885 cities across the 28 European countries to create a first reference baseline on the degree of climate mainstreaming in local climate plans. This will help to compare the benefits of mainstreaming versus dedicated climate plans, looking at policy effectiveness and ultimately delivery of much needed climate change efforts at the city level. All core cities of the European Urban Audit sample were analyzed, and their local climate plans classified as dedicated or mainstreamed in other local policy initiatives. It was found that the degree of mainstreaming is low for mitigation (9% of reviewed cities; 12% of the identified plans) and somewhat higher for adaptation (10% of cities; 29% of plans). In particular horizontal mainstreaming is a major effort for local authorities; an effort that does not necessarily pay off in terms of success of action implementation. This study concludes that climate change issues in local municipalities are best tackled by either, developing a dedicated local climate plan in parallel to a mainstreamed plan or by subsequently developing first the dedicated and later a mainstreaming plan (joint or subsequent "dual track approach"). Cities that currently provide dedicated local climate plans (66% of cities for mitigation; 26% of cities for adaptation) may follow-up with a mainstreaming approach. This promises effective implementation of tangible climate actions as well as subsequent diffusion of climate issues into other local sector policies. The development of only broad sustainability or resilience strategies is seen as critical. • Trends in mainstreaming climate change issues were analyzed for 885 cities EU-28. • EU cities provide numerous local mitigation (#664) and/or adaptation (#321) plans. • Mainstreaming was investigated as vertical and horizontal approach. • 9% of cities have mainstreamed mitigation LCP; 12% of mitigation LCPs mainstreamed. • 10% of cities have mainstreamed adaptation LCP; 29% of adaptation LCPs mainstreamed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy demand continues to increase in turn raising concerns about energy supply. In this paper, the author has tried to systematize the role of the energy sector in South Eastern (SE) Europe in the context of the European energy policy process. This should make the energy sector in SE Europe more visible and open to substantial activities and appropriate funding. This is important to assure its full alignment with the European energy policy process, and in so doing, make it less fragile. According to the SE European Energy Community Treaty, parties to the Treaty are obliged to implement reforms in the energy and environmental sector in accordance with the European Union''s respective policy. This paper raises awareness of the environmental requirements that have been set, of renewable energy and its implementation, at the same time pointing out that the response in SE Europe has been at a low level. It is believed that this paper could draw attention to the existing problems and could contribute to the establishment of a common integrated energy market in SE Europe and the EU. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Offshore wind has the potential of becoming an important pillar of the future European energy system. It can contribute to policy objectives on climate change, energy security, green growth and social progress. However, the large potential of offshore wind does not automatically lead to a large share in future energy systems; neither does the emergent stage of development of the technology. Recent insights in innovation studies suggest that the success chances of technological innovations are, to a large extent, determined by how the surrounding system—the innovation system—is built up and how it functions. In this paper we assess the offshore wind innovation systems of four countries: Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany with the objective to provide recommendations for strengthening the overall European offshore wind innovation system. We use the Technological Innovation System (TIS) approach to analyse the system in 2011. Based on the analysis we identify a number of challenges that the European offshore wind sector faces. Some of them include: a serious deficiency of engineers; fragmented policies and poor alignment of national regulatory frameworks; cost of the technology and limited grid infrastructure. Since the problems hinder the entire system development we call for a systemic policy instrument that would support the innovation system around this technology and contribute to its wider diffusion in Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To meet the goals of the directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings, the building sector in Europe now faces a transition towards more energy efficient buildings. Research and development of new energy solutions and technology will be necessary for the transition and the importance of analyzing building energy performance increases. This paper aims to review and evaluate different methods that are commonly used to analyze energy performance in residential buildings in Nordic countries, primarily in Sweden, Norway and Finland. A short international review of regulations is also included. The goal is to find commonly used methods and possibilities for the future. The introduced methods are summarized, categorized and compared based on their advantages and disadvantages. Although the three Nordic countries have similar climate conditions and building traditions, the review shows relatively large variations in the definitions of energy performance for residential buildings, as well as variations in how measurements and calculations are used in the methods for energy performance analysis. In the conducted review, methods, or parts of methods, are also found to be used. The methods used to analyze energy performance are found to be more similar than the concepts of energy performance itself in the three countries. These aspects may be considered in further work to develop an international policy practice for energy performance of residential buildings in cold climate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy production from anaerobic digestion of organic waste and dedicated digestable biomass is a promising climate change mitigation option. Over the last ten years anaerobic digestion has become established in many European countries. The plants have been developed for renewable energy generation, but also to control the emission of odors from zootechnical farms and to stabilize biomass before its agronomic use. In Italy the subsidies available for power generation from biomass have given rise to renewed interest in biogas, creating new opportunities for the agricultural and livestock sectors. Despite of this, in Southern Italy the manure is highly dispersed over a large number of small-size cattle farms, while power generation facilities are affected by scale economies and the aggregation of input biomass is a major logistic, managing, economic and environmental drawback towards the diffusion of such technologies. In this paper, an investment decision methodology for the assessment of optimal size and feedstock mix of biogas power plants fed by cattle manure and energy crops is presented. The methodology is applied to one of the most promising basins of Puglia region, in Southern Italy, represented by the Municipalities of the Local Action Group “Terra dei Trulli e del Barsento”, Province of Bari. The main factors influencing the profitability of these investments are assessed, with biogas power plant size ranging between 50kW and 1MW, and on the basis of the recently introduced feed-in tariff scheme for such plants (D.M. 6 July 2012). The results show that a high manure recovery rate, the reuse of biogas slurry and the cogeneration options are major key factor for the profitability of the investments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]