BalticClimate videos
In Lithuania, straw bale houses are on the rise as they are energy efficient and built using local natural materials. Dec. 2011. Subtitles: English
Climate adapted agriculture and local food markets in Westmecklenburg, Germany. October 2011. Subtitles: English
Ecosystems at the Polistovsky Nature Reserve and eco-friendly farming in the Bezhanitskiy Rayon, Russia. August 2011. Subtitles: English
The present and future of the Ligatne ferry, Latvia. May-July 2011. Subtitles: English
The use of environmentally friendly technologies at the new Kurtna school near Tallinn, Estonia. May 2011. Subtitles: English
The use of wood-based bioenergy and the biogas fuel business evolution in Central Finland. April 2011. Subtitles: English
Public transport and biogas use in Gävle and Stockholm, Sweden. March 2011. Speech: English 
The first BalticClimate broadcast on climate change. March 2010. Subtitles: English

We are talking about climate change because we believe that questioning this phenomenon can no longer be stood. Knowledge transfer is the clue to understanding each other and empowering people to take action. Therefore, actors on all levels, in various scientific and other disciplines and practices, have to work hand-in-hand.

The BalticClimate toolkit is an empowering knowledge transfer instrument for actors on the local and regional level who are not necessarily the experts on climate change, but who have an important role to play in the preparation, financing and decision making related to the implementation of climate change measures.

Hence, this toolkit addresses three relevant groups of actors: policy makers, spatial planners and business people. These actors are those who should make a clear commitment and take responsibility for coping with climate change impacts. The toolkit will support the navigation through the complex and challenging process.  

For policy makers the information focuses on the most crucial aspects – facing the problem and getting activated. Access to more detailed information can be gained via the links to the main issue driven categories displayed in the horizontal header or the information provided to the other actor groups.

Spatial planners are addressed with more detailed and scientific information. The section for spatial planners will also link to basic or illustrative information, as well as to the other two sections for policy makers and business people. Essentially, they will find a bundle of exercises and planning guidelines to prepare for the first steps of decision-making and for taking measures in terms of climate change aspects in their respective spatial entity.

Business people will be led into the issue through their main concerns: to know about the impacts on a business in a given region and to know what kinds of opportunities exist under new situations and circumstances. Here, the tools consist of a series of action steps to respond to climate change.

To begin, there are two main ways to dig into the issue.

(A) You may navigate from the point of view of your actor group (policy makers, spatial planners and business people). To do so, click on your actor group in the vertical navigation bar.

or

(B) Choose a link that interests you from the horizontal navigation bar. Perhaps you do not consider yourself belonging to one of the actor groups or you may just want general information about climate change like:

How might different sectors be affected? What are the two basic categories of policy responses: mitigation and adaptation? What are the differences between climate and weather? or Is climate change due to natural conditions or human-induced (anthropogenic driven) changes?

In this spirit, the BalticClimate Toolkit takes a step beyond the political measures which to date have been focused on the international and national levels or targeted towards larger industries. This toolkit targets areas and actors of small and medium sized cities and rural areas in all Baltic Sea Region countries in order to support their development.

Insofar it aims to:

  • raise the understanding of the phenomenon,
  • identify how climate change will affect specific areas,
  • inform about the essential elements with regard to climate change as well as sustainable development,
  • support knowledge transfer from the global to the local level and trans-nationally,
  • enhance capacities to deal with the issue of climate change in a cooperative, integrated and sustainable manner,
  • detect and develop opportunities and chances, and, hence, to
  • increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of small and medium sized cities and rural areas and their surrounding regions.

Do you want to increase your personal competitiveness now? If so, please come in, explore the BalticClimate Toolkit, make use of the different tools and empower yourself to get into action!

Increasing motivation – in case you are not yet convinced – is the purpose of the videos on the right-hand side. Click on the videos to see how different groups have been dealing with climate change. The videos (5-10 min) were filmed in areas around the Baltic Sea Region during 2010 and 2011.