The city of Tallinn in Estonia will be participating in an international project to develop adaptation measures to counter the increasing effect of heat waves caused by climate change. Tallinn’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan 2030 identified the increasing frequency and severity of heat waves as one of its biggest climate risks – affecting the health of the elderly population in particular and increasing mortality rates in Estonia last summer.
The Tallinn City Government has drawn up a draft decision on participating in the project “Ways of Adapting to Climate Change – Knowing” for presentation to the city council. The pilot for the project was based on heat island studies which have been carried out over the last few years. The draft decision proposes having the pilot take place in Väike-Õismäe, a subdistrict of Tallinn. The aim of the project is to develop climate change adaptation measures for housing, mobility, land use and landscaping.
The project – led by the Austrian Institute of Technology – is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. It involves 19 partners, including cities, research institutions, innovation centers and non-profit organizations.
“Our aim is to mitigate the risks of heat waves and increase the citizens’ capability to cope with them. The plan is to map and identify effective and feasible heatwave adaptation activities and solutions,” said Vladimir Svet, deputy mayor of Tallinn.
“The solutions that work in the pilot area of Väike-Õismäe can be applied in other similar areas, such as Mustamäe and Lasnamäe. All of these areas are characterized by a high proportion of paved surfaces and potentially more vulnerable populations in heat waves.”