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Background: Excessive summer heat is a serious environmental health problem in Skopje, the capital and largest city of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This paper attempts to forecast the impact of heat on mortality in Skopje in two future periods under climate change and compare it with a historical baseline period.Methods: After ascertaining the relationship between daily mean ambient air temperature and daily mortality in Skopje, we modelled the evolution of ambient temperatures in the city under a Representative Concentration Pathway scenario (RCP8.5) and the evolution of the city population in two future time periods: 2026-2045 and 2081-2100, and in a past time period (1986-2005) to serve as baseline for comparison. We then calculated the projected average annual mortality attributable to heat in the absence of adaptation or acclimatization during those time windows, and evaluated the contribution of each source of uncertainty on the final impact.Results: Our estimates suggest that, compared to the baseline period (1986-2005), heat-related mortality in Skopje would more than double in 2026-2045, and more than quadruple in 2081-2100. When considering the impact in 2081-2100, sampling variability around the heat-mortality relationship and climate model explained 40.3 and 46.6 % of total variability.Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of a long-term perspective in the public health prevention of heat exposure, particularly in the context of a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) is a rapidly changing and developing region which is making the transition to a market based economy. Along with economic reforms, the countries of the region are engaged in substantial environmental reforms, including climate change mitigation activities. Mitigation of, and adaptation to, the consequences of climate change are costly processes. It is therefore of great importance that the national and international mechanisms addressing these problems use methods both environmentally sound and economically efficient. Through two case studies that address the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and the Green Investment Scheme (GIS) in Romania, this paper explores challenges, related tasks and main problems in the establishment of mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol in Central and Eastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: The aim of the paper is to assess how well prepared are the public and the public institutions for developing a digital climate change monitoring system. Methods: A descriptive-analytical method and cross-sectional study were applied. Literature from the UNDP, Green Climate Fund (GCF), European Commission and the WHO was used. An on-line survey with 101 participants was conducted to evaluate the level of public interest on tackling climate change, and establishing an inter-institutional integrated system (IIIS) for monitoring climate change. Results: The Government has appointed a National Body for Cooperation with the GCF in order to strengthen the capacity of the state for strategic engagement. Decreasing rainfall, cold and heat waves imply that the country is vulnerable to natural disasters, such as droughts, floods and forest fires. Furthermore, the survey shows that 81,2% of the respondents think that climate changes have a negative impact on their health, whereas 70,3% consider that the public is not sufficiently informed about climate changes and the state of the ecosystem. 58,4% are not familiar with any steps being taken against climate change. Only 5% know about the development of an IIIS for monitoring climate change. 38,6% say they would participate in the work of the IIIS. Conclusions: The IIIS should be developed with the aim to connect key institutions that would create a strong hub aimed at researching and preventing diseases caused by climate changes. Including the public in the IIIS could help pinpoint local problems. If the establishment of an IIIS yields good results, it could grow into an international monitoring system. Implementing the General Data Protection Regulation and using proper safeguards would be crucial in protecting the gathered and exchanged data. This research will help develop the IIIS to be the first of its kind in the country, with the potential to prevent climate change related diseases, as well as disasters. Key messages: The mutual effort of the society as a whole, including the government, NGO’s, the public and private sectors is the only way we can battle the growing threat of climate change. Creating a digital, centralized integrated international and inter-institutional digital tools is the best weapon for monitoring the climate change and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: The goal of the present paper was to assess the impact of current and future burden of the ambient temperature to pollen distributions in Skopje. METHODS: In the study we have evaluated a correlation between the concentration of pollen grains in the atmosphere of Skopje and maximum temperature, during the vegetation period of 1996, 2003, 2007 and 2009 as a current burden in context of climate change. For our analysis we have selected 9 representative of each phytoallergen group (trees, grasses, weeds). The concentration of pollen grains has been monitored by a Lanzoni volumetric pollen trap. The correlation between the concentration of pollen grains in the atmosphere and selected meteorological variable from weekly monitoring has been studied with the help of linear regression and correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The prevalence of the sensibilization of standard pollen allergens in Skopje during the some period shows increasing from 16,9% in 1996 to 19,8% in 2009. We detect differences in onset of flowering, maximum and end of the length of seasons for pollen. The pollen distributions and risk increases in 3 main periods: early spring, spring and summer which are the main cause of allergies during these seasons. The largest increase of air temperature due to climate change in Skopje is expected in the summer season. CONCLUSION: The impacts of climate change by increasing of the temperature in the next decades very likely will include impacts on pollen production and differences in current pollen season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources management planning in Macedonia is based on the principles of water management, territorial basis, professional and scientific data on water resources and on other socioeconomic plans. The water management plan is a crucial document that defines the strategy of water use, water protection and flood protection in watersheds on the national territory. The watershed is the fundamental and natural unit in water protection and water use in Macedonia. Observation and interpretation of landscape features can help to understand the functioning of watershed ecosystems. Climate change affects all forms of land use and the key question is how to bring the water and agricultural sectors in watersheds closer together in terms of policy making, in the development of institutional mechanisms, capacity development and field projects as well as in terms of economic development. This paper describes the origins and development of organized water management of watersheds in Macedonia in the age of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the results of the seasonal indoor radon concentration measurements in dwellings in all regions of the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia. The measurements were made in 437 dwellings using CR-39 track detectors over four successive three-month periods (winter, spring, summer and autumn) throughout 2009. The results of analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences between indoor radon concentrations in different seasons. The geometric mean values and geometric standard deviations of indoor radon concentrations in winter, spring, summer and autumn were obtained to be: 115Bqm−3 (2.02), 72Bqm−3 (1.97), 46Bqm−3 (1.95), 92Bqm−3 (2.02), respectively. The geometric mean values of spring, summer and autumn to winter ratios were found to be: 0.63 (1.50), 0.40 (1.81), and 0.80 (1.58), respectively. The results of the analysis of the variance showed statistically significant differences among the indoor radon measurements for the regions in different seasons. The influence of the factors linked to building characteristics in relation to radon measurements in different seasons was examined. The factors which enable a differentiation into subgroups (significance level p <0.05) are the floor level, basement and building materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]