Effective water management as an important element of adaptation to climate change in Polish cities

Abstract

As indicated by the Strategic Plan of Adaptation to Climate Change in Poland (SPA 2020), sectors sensitive to the impact of climate change are “water management” and “spatial economy and urbanized areas”. Cities are directly threatened by three phenomena: the intensification of the urban heat island, heavy downpours causing flooding, and drought, which is conducive to water deficit in
cities. The aims of this study are: (1) a comparative analysis of the impact of climate change on water management – in Poland and other EU countries, (2) an analysis of the public water supply level in Poland and EU countries, (3) an assessment of the involvement of Polish cities in adapting to the climate to other EU countries – a comparative analysis of the Eurostat index “Population covered by the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy”, and (4) an evaluation of how the adaptive policy has been implemented in the field of water management in Polish cities – a survey carried out among the cities in the project “Let’s feel the climate!”.