Climate change, what risks Albania

2024-02-03 11:58:00, Aktualitet CNA

Illustrative photo

The year 2023 was confirmed as the warmest calendar year according to global temperature records dating back to 1850. This year had a global average temperature of 14.98 degrees Celsius or 0.17 degrees more than the next year with the highest value, which is 2016.

Temperatures in Europe were above average for 11 months during 2023 and September was the warmest month on record. These are some of the indicators that the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the Earth observation component of the European Union's Space program, published in the first days of January.

The alarm that this is not the last year with these indicators, but the first year on a dangerous ground, has turned the attention and the need for reflection on climate change in the headlines of international institutions.

Albania, like a good part of the countries, was affected last year by heat waves with high temperatures, making it clear that, like everyone, we will suffer the consequences. Indicators of climate change have started to manifest earlier in our country in the average annual rainfall, their intensity or the presence or absence of snow.

In the narrow aspect, the countries are reflecting with measures on mitigating the risks that come from climate change, while at the international level they have joined initiatives where the results achieved remain in question.

Is Albania ready today to face the dangers of climate change? What are the sectors affected and what measures can be taken to mitigate the effects?

National Energy and Climate Plan and objectives

In 2021, the government adopted a special Energy and Climate Plan, which lays out the path to 2030. The key focus in this document appears to be more related to energy and achieving the security of supply objective than to climate elements, but of course some measures have an impact in that aspect as well, such as the use of fossil fuels.

The plan envisages the increase of investments in solar energy, the expansion of "hydro" capacities, the expanded use of gas, for which, until now, even though the projects are practically numerous, there is no concrete element.

Subsidy in function of reducing decarbonization related to sectors such as transport, where there is an effort towards green lines as well as measures in the agricultural sector.

In itself, the plan has summarized the national objectives in five dimensions. First is decarbonization, second is energy efficiency, third is energy security, fourth is the internal energy market and fifth is research, innovation and competitiveness.

For the issue of energy and climate, an interministerial group is in operation that coordinates the measures and reports on the progress.

Response institutions, where we are today with emergencies

The increase in the intensity of rainfall, where in a short period of time the amount of rain that has fallen is high, has increased the risk of flooding in the country. Floods are becoming more and more frequent in cities, where the capital is no exception.

In the same way, extreme temperatures promote fires which, in recent years, have become a problem, even in the summer of 2022, the intervention of the European Civil Defense Mechanism was requested due to the inability to cope with this emergency.

At that time, in two months, more than 200 fire stations were activated in 42 municipalities of the country. What is the panorama of the National Civil Defense Agency today? In an interview for "Monitor", this institution admits that the legal framework is almost complete, where a good part of the main documents and by-laws have been approved.

Some others are still in process. Meanwhile, in the national disaster risk reduction strategy, Albania has also included the element related to climate change.

"The consideration of climate change has directly influenced the Risk Assessment document through: the simulation of longer-term scenarios for risk measurement or the re-evaluation of the coefficients in the scoring system that list the risk.

This impact is given by the main factors: temperature, precipitation and sea level rise (SLR). For example: The predicted changes in rainfall patterns in the winter, autumn and spring months increase the risk of river floods", the Agency underlines.

Based on this, the Agency's focus has been on investments in order to reduce risk, intervening in bridges, roads, landslides and counting several dozen projects in the years 2022-2023. Meanwhile, the local government units with which the Agency has several projects in process are also engaged in the aspect of reaction in the institutional link.

"The exchange of information and the readiness of the constituent units of AKMC in relation to local government structures has facilitated the fulfillment of work processes and is bringing more efficient coordination in terms of creating a database of losses from disasters.

In parallel with the strategic planning processes, we are also increasing our response capacity, modernizing and strengthening the capacity for our Fire Protection and Rescue service. A number of projects with a focus on operational strengthening will start implementation during this year", AKMC underlines.

Agriculture, crops that "threaten" climate change and measures

Agriculture is one of the sectors directly affected by climate change. This has to do with both the change in temperatures and productivity of certain crops under the effect of these developments, as well as the pests or diseases that threaten them.

Ministria e Bujqësisë dhe Zhvillimit Rural, tha për “Monitor” se ndikimet nuk janë të tilla që të detyrojnë rishikimin e hartës së produkteve në vend, por ndikime në kultura të veçanta si efekt i temperaturave pritet që të ketë.

Të paktën 9 nga 10 vitet më të nxehta që prej vitit 1850 kanë ndodhur në dekadën 2011-2020. Nga viti 1980-2020, temperatura mesatare vjetore e zonës së Tiranës është rritur me pothuaj 2?.

Të dhënat historike të 30 viteve të fundit tregojnë rritje të numrit të ditëve me temperatura mbi 35?, dhe të netëve me temperatura mbi 20?.

Pranverat e nxehta pritet të kenë efekte negative në rendimente sidomos gjatë verës ose gjatë pranverës në kulturën e ullirit” nënvizon Ministria. Në kushtet kur temperaturat e larta apo fenomene të tjera të lidhura me ndryshimet klimatike nuk mund të ndalohen, Ministria e Bujqësisë e ka vendosur fokusin te një sërë masash ku së pari një projekt që po mbështetet nga Banka Botërore

“Kemi diskutuar dhe po vëmë në zbatim me Bankën Botërore një komponent të veçantë me vlerë prej 29 milionë eurosh i cili i drejtohet pikërisht zvogëlimit të efekteve të ndryshimeve klimatike dhe rritjes së efektivitetit të përdorimit të burimeve ujore në të gjithë vendin.

Kështu së bashku me Bankën Botërore do të ndërtojmë për herë të parë Platformën dixhitale për Bujqësinë inteligjente për klimën.

Kjo platformë grumbullon informacione për llojin e tokës, të dhëna hidrometeorologjike, praktikat bujqësore (përdorimi i plehëruesve, pesticideve, ujitjen etj.) dhe synon drejtimin e fermerëve në praktika më të qëndrueshme bujqësore”, – pohon MBZHR.

Parashikohet gjithashtu ndërhyrja në 12 mijë e 300 ha në infrastrukturën e ujitjes dhe kullimit dhe do të integrojmë inovacione teknologjike me energji të rinovueshme, duke ulur gjurmën karbon të bujqësisë.

Një tjetër zhvillim është ai i kalimit në furnizimin me energji diellore për rreth 1/3 e nevojave të hidrovorëve, duke instaluar 27 paneleve diellore, me fuqi të instaluar 2000 kWp, prodhim energjetik vjetor 2740 mWh.

“Në kuadër të granteve të WBIF (Western Balkans Investment Framework) po realizojmë studimin e fizibilitetit për përmirësimin e mbrojtjes nga përmbytja në lumenjtë Ishëm, Erzen, Shkumbin, Seman dhe Vjosa, për të përcaktuar me anë të projekteve specifike masat që do të merren në secilin prej rasteve. Së shpejti, do të fillojmë një analizë të sigurisë së digave të rezervuarëve me një studim parafizibiliteti për rreth 430 diga”, – nënvizon Ministria.

Ndryshimet klimatike rrezikojnë infrastrukturën, Shqipëria 147 milionë USD dëme në vit

Dëmet mesatare vjetore në infrastrukturë që vijnë nga fatkeqësitë natyrore po bëhen gjithmonë e më shqetësuese.

Një dokument i qeverisë vlerëson se vlera mesatare është 147 milionë dollarë dhe këtu bëjnë pjesë përmbytjet, tërmetet apo rrëshqitjet që prekin rrjetin rrugor dhe urat, por pjesën kryesore e mbajnë të parat.

"Albania's road and bridge infrastructure is sensitive to climate change and natural disasters, mainly floods and earthquakes. Average annual damages are estimated at $147 million per year, with a catastrophic event, such as a 1-in-100-year earthquake, for example, causing more than $2 billion in damages.

River floods are a major natural hazard in the primary road network in Albania and account for 84 percent of the total AED (average annual damage), compared to 11 percent from landslides and 5 percent from earthquakes," Albanian institutions estimate.

Some major arteries in the infrastructure are constantly affected by floods and their economic importance makes the damage even greater in cases of blockages. Two are the main roads that the documents mention and are part of corridor 4 and 5.

"Under the strategic network, Corridor 4 (Tirana-Durrës) and Corridor 5 Durrës-Vlora, are the most critical roads in Albania. These corridors are still vulnerable to flood events and the annual damage could be around 13 million euros, due to the high volume of traffic and the economic importance of these corridors and is expected to increase under different climate change scenarios.

Taking into account the entire national road network, bridges and canals are the key infrastructure, which are the most vulnerable and the most exposed elements, an average annual damage of 18.7 million euros is estimated," the document states.

ARRSH underlined in a summary of the bridge project being implemented with the help of the World Bank that there is a clear and urgent need to increase the resilience of Albania's road infrastructure to climate, change and natural disasters (eg, earthquakes, floods) and landslides, strong wind storms, etc.)./ Monitor