Resumen de Climate resilience of the Romanian urban system: an indicator-based framework exploring the vulnerability-adaptation nexus
Ines Grigorescu, Bianca Mitrică, Irena Mocanu, Paul Şerban, Mihaela Persu, Monica Dumitraşcu, Elena Ana Urşanu, Mihaela Sima, Dana Magdalena Micu, Cristina Dumitrică
Vulnerability assessment is instrumental for climate change adaptation. Caught between extensive and continuous urbanization, uneven socio-economic development and high climate vulnerability, Romanian cities face an urgent need to adapt to the current and projected climatechange impacts. To understand these linkages, the current study intends to use the adaptivecapacity as one of the vulnerability’s three key components for substantiating the urban adaptation in Romania. The research uses an indicator-based approach (URB_CLIM_ADAPT) to quantifythe adaptive capacity starting from a total number of 18 biophysical and socio-economic indicators. Using principal component analysis (PCA) analysis and expert judgement, 12 indicators thatare thought to have a strong influence on cities capacity to adapt have resulted. The resultedindicators were grouped into two main categories: socio-economic and environmental which, ultimately defining the final urban adaptation capacity. Three major groups of climate hazards impacting the Romanian urban system were targeted: (i) heat-related (drought and heat waves); (ii)cold-related (cold waves), and (iii) urban flooding (caused by intense and/or prolonged rainfall).The indicator-based framework substantiated the adaptation capacity to further formulate of urban adaptation measures. The research findings are relevant to advance the knowledge and understanding of the climate change-related urban adaptation in Romania and formulate effectiveadaptation measures in view of supporting the revision of the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2030
