Yesterday, on August 17, the Viimsi municipality council adopted the Viimsi municipality climate change adaptation development plan 2021-2031, the main goal of which is to increase the municipality’s readiness and ability to adapt to the effects of climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Being one of the first municipalities in Estonia to have prepared such a plan, Viimsi has set one of its development goals to make the municipality a place of residence with the best living environment, which offers a peaceful and safe living environment. However, climate risks can have both negative and positive effects on the quality of the living environment, so it is important that the municipality is aware of possible risks, foresees actions to deal with them, and knows how to take advantage of the possible positive effects of climate change, in order to push for the desired developments.

The plan provides a detailed overview of predicted climate changes and their impact on the municipality and sets goals for adapting to changes. When preparing the plan, the impact of climate change on the following areas was assessed: land use and spatial planning, buildings, transport and mobility, energy management, water management, health, natural environment and biodiversity, tourism and recreation, health, emergency response and waste. Adaptation measures were planned to mitigate the most important climate risks, including to reduce the occurrence and effects of floods and heat islands, to ensure the availability of drinking water, sustainable and safe mobility, coping with emergencies and a living environment that supports people’s health and well-being. In addition, there are directions for increasing energy efficiency in three areas – buildings, transport and road lighting. The plan presents 20 measures with activities to achieve adaptation and emission reductions over a ten-year timeline. The action plan outlines the activities to be implemented in the years 2021-2025, which contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the measure. The appendices present an impact analysis and the links between the measures and sectoral strategies.

The plan was prepared by Baltic Environmental Forum in cooperation with experts from Estonian University of Life Sciences and Viimsi Municipal Government within the project “Development of sustainable and climate change-resistant urban rainwater systems” (LIFE UrbanStorm), which is financed by the LIFE+ program of the European Union and the Center for Environmental Investments.