EN    EN EN 
 
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 1.4.2009 
SEC(2009) 386 
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
accompanying the  
 
WHITE PAPER 
 
Adapting to climate change: Towards a European framework for action 
  
Climate Change and Water,  Coasts and Marine Issues  
{COM(2009) 147 final} 
{SEC(2009) 387} {SEC(2009) 388} 
 
EN 2   EN COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
Climate Change and Water, Coasts and Marine Issues 
1. Introduction 
Over the coming decades, climate change will have a significant impact on the quantity and 
quality of water resources both wi thin Europe and globally. Water is essential to life and is 
central to society’s welfare and to sustainabl e economic growth. Plants, animals, natural and 
managed ecosystems, and human settlements are sens itive to variations in the storage, fluxes, 
and quality of water and will be affected by climate change. 
Climate change is projected to lead to major ch anges in water availability across Europe with 
increasing water scarcity mainly  in southern Europe and incr easing risk of floods throughout 
most of the continent. At leas t 11% of the European population and 17% of its territory have 
been affected by water scarcity to date. Recen t trends show a significant increase in water 
scarcity across Europe. 
Since 1998 floods in Europe have caused some 700 deaths, the displaceme nt of about half a 
million people and at least €25 billion in insured economic losses. Climate change is expected to increase the amount of EU te rritory exposed to water scarci ty as it aggravates existing 
pressures on water resources from, inter a lia, pollution, overuse and population increase. 
The higher water temperatures and extreme weat her events such as flooding and droughts will 
also impact upon water quality and ex acerbate existing problems of pollution. 
These anticipated changes to water quantity and quality will have a wide impact, and will 
significantly affect key socio-economic activitie s across a range of sectors. Biodiversity and 
ecosystems in large parts of Europe will also be affected. 
Successful adaptation to the impacts of climate ch ange on water will therefore depend not just 
on effective national and European water regula tions, but also on the ex tent to which water 
management can be integrated into other sectoral policies such as agriculture and energy 
policies. 
The oceans and seas, and Europe's coastline will also be strongly affected by climate change. 
Such impacts will in turn intensify impacts on wa ter. Moreover, the ocean is responsible for 
our hydrologic cycles and also plays a signi ficant role in regulating global and regional 
climate and moderating weather sy stems around the world. This is pa rticularly the case for the 
climate in Europe which has one of the longest coastlines in the worl d and is thus strongly 
influenced by the oceans and seas.  
Changes in the climate will mean sea level rise , increases in coastal flooding, storm intensity, 
and potentially changing current pa tterns, which in turn could furt her contribute to changes in 
climate. Thus, sea warming may result in in creased stratification and changed circulation 
patterns of ocean currents, de crease the amount of sea ice,  increase coral bleaching and 
mortality, and may result in pole-ward migrat ions of species and increased algal blooms.
 
Ocean acidification will pose adverse effects on calcifying species such as corals, 
echinoderms and crustaceans. 
 
EN 3   EN Since the sea knows no frontiers, ad aptation to climate impacts wi ll require co-ordination on 
transboundary issues and a comp rehensive and integrated appr oach to coastal and marine 
areas in the implementation of national and Eu ropean sectoral policies having an impact in 
these areas.  
This paper expands on the water and marine issues highlighted in the White Paper, 
summarising the main impacts of climate change  on water and related policies and identifying 
the measures in place to  facilitate adaptation.  
2. Impact 
The evidence base on the impact of climate change on water is increasing. The IPCC recently 
published a technical report relatin g to climate change and water1 which pointed to the 
abundant evidence from observational records and climate projections that freshwater 
resources are vulnerable and have  the potential to be strongly impacted by climate change, 
with wide-ranging consequences for human societies and ecosystems.  
As well as physical impacts such as the loss of water-dependent habitats, there will also be 
significant economic impacts particularly in water-dependent economic sectors and social 
impacts resulting from the loss of provision.  
In coastal and marine areas, fu rther to physical impacts such as sea-level rise, coastal 
flooding, increase in severe weat her, acidification, warmer wa ter and declines in wetland 
areas, changes in currents and ice cover and salt water intrusion into agricultural soils, 
affecting marine and coastal ecosystems, incl uding abundance and distribution patterns of 
species from plankton to predators, there are also considerable negative economic impacts. 
This is the case in fisheries,  aquaculture, coastal tourism and agriculture, harbours or in key 
coastal and marine infrastructures, such as ports and in shipping, w ith a potenti al overall 
growth impediment to the economy in coastal regions and islands, due to the costs of insurance and unwillingness of investors to place assets in affected areas.  
Key impacts on water and coasta l and marine areas include: 
• The natural environment (i.e. ecosystems, bi odiversity and soil). Projected changes in 
precipitation patterns will affect soil formation and functions. Soil as part of the soil-water-plant system is vital for land and water management. Soil organic matter drives the 
majority of soil functions. Any reduction can lead  to a decrease in fer tility and biodiversity, 
a loss of soil structure, reduced water reten tion capacity and increased risk of erosion. 
• Marine ecosystems and biodiversity, alr eady under pressure from pollution and 
overfishing, will be affected by warmer temperatures and acidification, with changes in 
species reproduction, feeding and with changes in  distributions of mari ne organisms, more 
frequent algae blooms and shifts in plankton  communities. Relevant marine and coastal 
ecosystems services may also be lost  with coastal wetla nds disappearing.  
• Agriculture and Forestry - agriculture is highl y sensitive to climate variability and weather 
extremes, changes in rainfall can affect soil erosion rates and soil moisture, both of which 
                                                
 
1 http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports /tp-climate-change-water.htm 
 
EN 4   EN are important for crop yields. Fo rests have an important role in protecting water and soil 
resources. 
• Fisheries and aquaculture – sea-level rise, glacier melting, ocean aci dification and changes 
in precipitation, groundwater and river fl ows will affect wetlands, rivers, lakes and 
estuaries significantly, as well as coastal an d offshore waters and a range of sensitive 
marine habitats such as coral reefs. Such ch anges will require adaptive measures in order 
to exploit opportunities and to minimise nega tive impacts on fisheries and aquaculture 
systems. 
• Health - the impact of climate change on wate r quality and quantity is  also expected to 
increase the risk of contamination of public water supplies. Both extreme rainfall and 
droughts can increase the total microbial loads in freshwater and have implications for 
disease outbreaks and wa ter-quality monitoring. 
• Energy - the production of electri city is strongly dependent on water, for cooling in power 
plants, hydropower or the production of bioma ss. Changes in water resources will have 
impacts on many types of electricity productio n, and may become a further threat to the 
reliability of electricity supply in the future.  
• Infrastructure and building - in tense precipitation events, increased flood risk, and sea level 
rise may increase the risk of infrastructure damage. The greatest impact on transportation 
systems will be flooding of roads, railways  and transit systems. Critical coastal 
infrastructure, communities situated close to th e coast as well as sea ports will be exposed 
to coastal flooding, and storms may provoke impacts on maritime transport and related 
infrastructure. 
• Tourism - problems of water supply are becomi ng increasingly common in Europe's tourist 
areas. The island of Cyprus for example has suffe red from a chronic shortage of water for a 
number of years where rising demand and dwin dling rainfall has put pressure on limited 
water resources. Coastal tourism will also be  affected as a consequence of accelerated 
coastal erosion and changes in the marine en vironment and marine water quality, with less 
fish and more frequent je lly fish and algae blooms. 
• Water supply and sanitation services - climate change affects the function and operation of 
existing water infrastructure, including hydropower, structural  flood defences, drainage 
and irrigation systems, as well as water management practices.  
Although there is clear evid ence that climate change will ha ve a significant impact on water 
quantity and quality, further research is needed in order to ensure that proper decisions on 
adaptation can be taken. In pa rticular, the IPCC report identified the need to improve 
understanding and modelling of climate changes related to the hydrological cycle and of the 
water-related impacts of climate change (espec ially with respect to water quality, aquatic 
ecosystems and groundwater) including their soci o-economic dimensions as well as the need 
to develop better tools to facilitate integrated appraisals of adaptation and mitigation options across multiple water-dependent sectors. Unders tanding how activities that depend on climate 
(energy consumption, agriculture production) w ill change in the future requires a better 
understanding of ocean dynamics and of their role in accentuating or mitigating climate 
change. 
 
EN 5   EN 3. Measures to facilitate adaptation 
Adapting to these challenges created or aggr avated by climate cha nge will require an 
integrated approach to both water management and to the management of marine and coastal 
zones, including measures to mainstream adaptation into sectoral policies.  
A number of existing EU polices can facilitate  adaptation efforts and optimum use should be 
made of this legislation. The short-term ad aptation measures in relation to water should 
therefore focus on ensuring that adaptation is fully integrated into the implementation of 
existing EU water legislation and policies, in  particular, the development of river basin 
management plans under the Water Framework Di rective as well as assessing the need for 
further measures to enhance the efficiency of water use and explor ing the potential for 
policies and measures to boost ecosystem storage capacity for water in Europe. 
Similarly for coastal and marine  areas, adaptation should be inte grated into key policies and 
legislation, including the EU In tegrated Maritime Policy and its environmental pillar: the 
Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The Recommendation concerning Integrated Coastal 
Zone Management in Europe and the newly reformed Common Fisheries Policy will also have to factor in and addr ess adaptation as a priority. 
The uncertain nature of the impact of climat e change on water requir es a comprehensive and 
continuing consideration of adaptation optio ns including both dema nd and supply-side 
measures as well as man-made (or engineered ) solutions, behavioural changes and solutions 
provided by the natural environment. 
The cross-regional and trans-border nature of river basins can have a serious cross-border 
impact on upstream and downstream regions. It is thus indispensable that Member States, as 
well as regional and local authorities coop erate on water management and ensuring 
sustainable and fair use of wate r resources. Indeed the specific nature of the issue requires 
coordinated action across a ll levels (EU, Member St ate, regional and local). 
Particular attention should be paid to the ro le of green infrastructure. Healthy ecosystems 
preserve biodiversity and provide many valuable services such as the storage of water which in turn increase drought resilien ce. Green Infrastructure can play  a crucial role in adaptation: 
protected watersheds decrease the need for man- made water treatment facilities; reforested 
slopes help control flooding ev ents and landslides; protected waterways can prevent soil 
erosion, improve water quality, and pr ovide wildlife habitat corridors.  
3.1 Integration of adaptation into the implementation of water legislation 
The Water Framework Directive  (WFD) came into force in December 2000 and establishes 
a new legal framework for the protection, improve ment and sustainable use of all water in 
Europe. It applies to rivers, canals, lakes, lochs, groundwater, wetlands , estuaries and coastal 
waters and requires governments to take a holistic approach to their management.  
The WFD has the following key aims:  
• to expand the scope of water protection to a ll waters, surface waters and groundwater and 
providing an overall framew ork for water management; 
• to achieve "good status" for all waters by 2015; 
 
EN 6   EN • to provide for an integrated approach to water management based on river basins and 
combining emission limit values and quality standards; 
• to promote sustainable water use based on a long-term protection of available water 
resources; and  
• to provide for greater public involvement in key decisions on water management.  
The best model for a single system of water management is management by river basin - the 
natural geographical and hydrological unit - instead of according to administrative or political 
boundaries. The Water Framework Directive require s a river basin management plan to be 
established for each river basin district (inclu ding those with cross national frontiers). The 
first river basin management plans are re quired by 22 December 2009 and must be updated 
every six years. This flexible management fr amework is well-suited to managing adaptation 
to the impacts of climate change as it will en able new information on the impacts of climate 
change and the measures necessary to adjust to  be incorporated into the revised river basin 
management plans. The requirement under the Water Framework Directive for Member States to take a cross-sectoral approach to wate r management will also facilitate the necessary 
cross-sectoral action on adaptation and prov ide a framework for consideration of the 
relationship between the use and management of  the natural environmen t (e.g. land) and the 
quality and availability of water resources. Further, the achievement of "good ecological 
status" for all waters as provided in the Water Framework Directive will contribute strongly to 
improving and maintaining biodiversity in th e aquatic environment, as well as those 
ecosystems which rely on the aquatic environmen t. Work is on-going at a European level to 
develop by the end 2009 comprehe nsive guidelines and a set of tools for incorporating climate 
change into future river basin management plans. 
The Water Framework Directive is complement ed by the Floods Directive and the policy on 
water scarcity and droughts. These provide a more  specific framework for adapting to the key 
water-related impacts of climate change.  
The Floods Directive  establishes a framework for the a ssessment and management of flood 
risks aimed at reducing the adverse consequences  for human health, the environment, cultural 
heritage and economic activity associated wi th floods in Europe. The Directive requires 
Member States to assess if al l water courses and coast lines ar e at risk from flooding, to map 
the flood hazards and identify asse ts and humans at risk in thes e areas and to take adequate 
and coordinated measures to reduce the flood ri sk. In line with the integrated river basin 
approach taken under the Water Framework Dir ective, the Directive also requires Member 
States to coordinate their fl ood risk management practices in  shared river basins, including 
with third counties, and to avoid taking meas ures that would increase the flood risk in 
neighbouring countries. Co-ordina tion with the implementation of  the WFD is required under 
Article 9 of the Floods Directive from the s econd River Basin Management Plan. The Floods 
Directive therefore provides a comprehens ive mechanism for assessing and monitoring 
increased risks of flooding due to climate ch ange and for developing appropriate adaptation 
approaches. The coordinated approach with the river basin management plans will ensure an 
overall effective approach and help avoid maladaptation measures.  
Alongside an increased risk of fl ooding, climate change will make water scarcity  and 
droughts an increasingly frequent phenomen on. In July 2007 the Commission adopted a 
Communication on addressing the ch allenge of water scarcity a nd droughts in the European 
Union setting out a number of policy options for addressing the challeng e of water scarcity. 
 
EN 7   EN The measures identified in the Communication represent an important  tool box for responding 
to the increased likelihood of such events due to climate change. In particular, the 
Communication identified the importance of moving towards a water-efficient and water-
saving economy and the important roles played  by water pricing and land-use planning in 
incentivising efficient water use.  
The Commission reviewed progre ss towards addressing water scarcity and droughts in 
December 20082 and will conduct an annual European assessment of water scarcity and 
droughts making it possible to monitor changes acr oss Europe and to identify where further 
action is needed in response to climate change . In addition, a review of  the strategy for water 
scarcity and droughts is planned for 2012. 
3.2 Integration of adaptation into existing marine and coastal zone legislation 
Climate change will have a particular impact on the marine environment and coastal zones, 
with consequent impacts on maritime activities.  The EU Integrated Maritime Policy provides 
a comprehensive framework for addressing maritime activities from a cross-sectoral perspective. This facilitates the integration of  adaptation efforts for coastal and marine areas 
into specific policies. In this context, the Commission acknowledge d in its Blue Paper
3 that 
risk management may impact heavily on the budget and economy of co astal zones in the 
future and indicated support for adaptation related to maritime activities, the marine 
environment, coastal zones and islands.  
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the environmental pillar of the Integrated 
Maritime Policy aims at protecting more effectiv ely the marine environment across Europe. It 
requires the EU's marine waters to achieve good environmental status by 2020. This will 
protect the resource base upon which marine-rel ated economic and social activities depend.  
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive establishes European Marine Regions on the basis 
of geographical and environmental criteria. Member States (in cooperation with other 
Member States and non-EU countries within  a marine region) ar e required to develop 
strategies for their marine waters containing  a detailed assessment of the state of the 
environment, a definition of "good environmenta l status" at regional le vel (wherever possible) 
and the establishment of clear environmental targets and monitoring programmes. The first 
elements of marine strategies are due by 2012 a nd are required to be updated every 6 years. 
As with the Water Framework Directive, th e Marine Strategy Framework Directive can 
facilitate adaptation by ensuring that climate change considerations are incorporated into marine strategies and by providing a mechanis m for regular updating to take account of new 
information. The flexible and adaptive approach  of the Marine Strate gy Framework Directive 
as well as the reliance on Marine Regions an d Sub-Regions as management units should 
allow for a flexible adaptation to the specific impacts of Climate Change at regional level. 
The achievement of ‘good environmental status ’ of Europe's marine environment under the 
Marine Strategy will, as in the case of 'good ecological stat us' for the Water Framework 
Directive, prevent a deteriorat ion in the quality of the marine environment as a result of 
climate change.  
Europe's coastal zones  are of strategic importa nce to the European Uni on. They are home to a 
considerable percentage of European citizens,  a major source of food and raw materials, a 
                                                
 
2 COM(2007) 414, 18.7.2007. 
3 'An Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union', COM(2007) 575 final. 
 
EN 8   EN vital link for transport and trade, the location of some of our most valuable habitats, and the 
favoured destination for leisure time. However, due to climate impacts, these zones are facing 
increasing environmental, economic and social  problems. The inter-connection between land 
and sea makes effective and integrated coastal and maritime management essential. The Commission has highlighted the need for better integrated coastal zone management. In this 
context, there is a need to follow up on the Roadmap on Maritime Spatial Planning. The Recommendation concerning Integrated Co astal Zone Management in Europe provides 
for Member States to take a st rategic approach to the manage ment of their coastal zones, 
based on, inter alia, recognition of the threat to coastal zones posed by climate change and the dangers entailed by the rise in sea level and the increasing frequency and violence of storms. 
The EU ICZM Recommendation lists eight principles on which coastal zone management should be based. These include integration across sectors and levels of governance, as well as 
a participatory and knowledge-based approach. Gi ven the cross-border na ture of many coastal 
processes, coordination and c ooperation with neighbouring countri es and in a regional sea 
context are also needed. 
The Commission's communication of June 2007 ev aluates the progress towards integrated 
coastal zone management in Europe and iden tifies and promotes measures to remedy the 
deterioration and to improve the overall situatio n in Europe's coastal zones. This identified 
adaptation to climate change as a prior ity theme for further promotion of ICZM. 
A more coherent and integrated approach to coastal planning and management via integrated 
coastal zone management will assist adaptation efforts. The multi-disciplinary, interactive approach which underpins ICZM provides the fl exible and multi-sectoral basis needed for 
developing effective adaptation measures . To support the implementation of ICZM, 
opportunities are offered especially through the EU's Cohesion Policy, Fisheries Fund and as 
part of the EU's Research Framework Programme. In order to ensure a coordinate d and integrated approach to ad aptation in coastal and marine 
areas, taking into account trans-boundary issues, the Commission will develop guidelines on adaptation in coastal and marine areas.