DownScaling CLImate imPACTs and decarbonisation pathways in EU islands and enhancing socioeconomic and non-market evaluation of Climate Change for Europe, for 2050 and beyond

The project SOCLIMPACT aims at defining climate change impact-chains and low carbon transition pathways in European islands for 2050 and beyond, and analyzing their corresponding macro-economic and non-market consequences for Europe.
Firstly, climate impact projections for islands will be developed. The project will take into account the relationship between CC and biophysical impacts, according to each island’s specificities and vulnerability indicators. Secondly, the assessment of the socio-economic impacts in four key areas of the EU Blue Economy (aquaculture, coastal and maritime tourism, fisheries and maritime transport) will be done.
Finally, the project will rank and map low carbon and adaptation solutions, according to each island´s particularities and CC scenarios.
The objectives:
1. To develop a thorough understanding on how climate change will affect the EU islands, given their specific vulnerability compared to continental Europe.
2. To provide consolidated data and knowledge with a cross-sectorial perspective on the socio-economic costs of different climate change scenarios for 2050 and beyond, for EU islands and the spill-over effects on the EU Blue Economy.
3. To validate a new methodology for the estimation of the economic value of non-market consequences of CC as well as the non-market benefits of climate mitigation and adaptation actions for Europe.
4. To identify and rank the more appropriate low-carbon transition pathways and risk management strategies for each EU Island, according to different climate change scenarios.
5. To deliver, through innovative technological support tools, downscaled recommendations to policy makers and practitioners in order to foster the desired transition.

Publications
Vrontisi, Z., Charalampidis, I., Lehr, U., Meyer, M., Paroussos, L., Lutz, C., Lam-González, Y. E., Arabadzhyan, A., González Hernández, M. M. & León, C. J. (2022): Macroeconomic impacts of climate change on the Blue Economy sectors of southern European islands. Climatic Change 170, 27, DOI: 10.1007/s10584-022-03310-5.