Country overview and assessment
6.Finland
This country fiche provides a comprehensive overview and assessment of climate change adaptation in Finland. After detailing the vulnerability of Finland’s coastal zones, the responsibility and financing for coastal protection is explained. Next, the fiche presents the relevant research activities, the coastal defence, risk reduction and adaptation plans available in Finlandas well as the current and future protection and adaptation expenditure. The persons contacted and sources of information used are listed at the end.
6.1.Vulnerability of Finland’s coastal zones to climate change
Finland is bordered on its western and southern shoreline by the Baltic Sea. The western coast lies along the Gulf of Bothnia, separating Finland from Sweden. The southern coast is situated along the Gulf of Finland, separating Finland from Estonia. The total coastline measures more than 14000 km.
Finland is divided in 20 regions, of which 10 border the Baltic Sea. Figure 61highlights the coastal regionsof Finlandand provides an overview of the main physical and socio-economic indicators of the coastal zones.
Figure 61: Coastal regions of Finland and an overview of the main physical and socio-economic indicators of the coastal zones
Source: Policy Research based on EEA, 2006, The changing faces of Europe’s coastal areas (for Sea Level Rise and 10 km coastal zone below 5 metres elevation); European Commission (Eurosion study), 2004, Living with coastal erosion in Europe: Sediment and space for sustainability (for coastline length and coastline subject to erosion); Eurostat 2004 (for GDP and population in 50 km zone)
The following paragraphs discuss the main climate change risks for the coastal zones of Finland. Overall, the vulnerability of Finland’s coastal zones to climate change can be considered as low. As to flood-risk, the coastline along the Golf of Finland is most exposed, especially during storm surges. Erosion on the other hand is almost absent and also coastal eco-systems and habitats are not considered under immediate threat from climate change. Freshwater shortage might become an issue in flood-prone areas.
a/Coastal flooding and erosion
The two factors that affect the sea level aroundFinland’s coasts are the rise of the global mean sea level and the land uplift. In the Gulf of Bothnia, on Finland’s western coast, the land uplift will continue to outstrip SLR(Sea Level Rise) according to the most probable scenarios. In the Gulf of Finland, however, the rate of land uplift is much slower. This regioncurrently experiences a SLR that is approximately the same as the land uplift rate, but SLR might increase in the future[1].
The main problem associated with SLR in the Gulf of Finland will be the increased risk of flooding, especially during storm surges[2]. In 2005, strong winds raised the sea level on Finland’s southern coast by 0.8m in 8hours. In Helsinki, the water rose to about 1.5m above the average sea level. This floodevent caused damages of €15 to 20million along the Finnish coast.
Four coastal regions situated along the Gulf of Finlandcan be considered at a higher risk from coastal flooding: Varsinais-Suomi, Uusimaa, Itä-Uusimaa and Kymenlaakso. Moreover, Uusimaa and ItäUusimaa house four major cities of Finland namely Helsinki, Espoo, Loviisa and Porvoo.
As tides are almost absent in the Baltic and the Finnish coast is mainly of a rocky and clay nature, coastal erosion is not an issue on the Finnish shoreline.
b/Freshwater shortage
Water stress caused by the salinisation of aquifers is mainly a localised issue and is not considered a national problem, as there are abundant supplies of freshwater with the vast number of inland lakes. Areas where problems can be expected are for example the cities of Porvoo and Hanko, where aquifers are located very close to the current sea level and the majority of water supply is taken from these aquifers. If the seawould rise to a higher level, the salinity of the groundwater could be affected in these areas.
Currently, there is no plan to determine what measures should be taken to prevent salinisation. Nevertheless, the Geological Survey of Finland[3] and the Hanko municipality plan to address this in the near future.
c/Loss of coastal eco-systems
The effects of climate change on eco-systems, habitats and biodiversity are to be investigated as part of Finland’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. The strategy states that, if necessary, Finland will change the measures regarding the management and use of protected areas in order to adapt to the impact of climate change. At present, protected areas in low-lying coastal zones are not subject to specific coastal defence measures.
6.2.Responsibility and financing for coastal protection and climate adaptation
In Finland,coastal zone management is mainly a sub-national matter. Municipalities and, in the case of private land, private landowners, have to bear the costs of coastal protection measures and obtain permits at the national level. National authorities provide guidelines with respect to land use planning and Regional Environment Centres recommend about minimum construction heights in coastal and other flood-prone areas but it is up to the municipalities to decide whether they include safety margins into their land use plans. Besides the development of spatial plans and building guidelines, coastal protection measures undertaken in Finland are limited.
At national level, the Department of the Built Environment, subordinated to both the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Housing, is responsible for spatial planning issues.In addition, national authorities offer substantial support to climate change research and the development of climate change scenarios.
Regional Environment Centres[4], belonging to the state organisation, are responsible for steering land use planning within the Finnish regions as well as for supervising that national guidelines are integrated in regional planning guidelines. These centres are also involved in environmental protection, nature protection and water resources management. Each region is moreover steered by a Regional Council[5], which is responsible for the general development and planning in the respective region.
The Finnish Environment Institute is a key operator in protecting species and biotopes.
6.3.Research into Finland’s vulnerability to climate change and climate change scenarios
In Finland, climate change research is much supportedby national authorities. National research programmes that include research to climate change exist since 1990 and the first climate change scenarios were prepared one year later. The main actors providing financial support are the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Transport and Communications and theAcademy of Finland. Table 61 provides a comprehensive overview of the Finnish research programmes, including climate change research, launched to date.
Table 61: National Research Programmes in Finland including climate change research
Period / Name / Climate related objectives / Funding for climate research1990-1995 / SILMU / Increase the knowledge on climate change; increase the participation of Finnish researchers in international research programmes; prepare and disseminate information for policy makers on adaptation and mitigation / €14.63million[6]
1999-2002 / FIGARE[7] / To support research on issues of global change in the natural and social sciences, economics and technology / €6.77million
2005-2010 / ISTO / Support the implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change / €3million
Under the FIGARE research programme the most recent Finnish climate scenarios, known as the FINSKEN scenarios were defined. Partners involved were the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC), the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and the Finnish Institute of Marine Research (FIMR). The FINSKEN scenarios were used to develop the Finnish National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change and included estimates on temperature, precipitation and SLR.The total funding for the development of these scenarios amounted to €382000.
Under the ISTO research programme, one project, ‘Climate extremes in present day climate and state-of-the-art projections of climate change (ACCLIM)’ has the objective to develop these scenarios in further detail.
6.4.Coastal defence, risk reduction and adaptation plans in relation to climate change
To date, the planning and implementation of coastal protection measures is the responsibility of the municipalities. Consequently, no national plan for coastal protection exists in Finland. Regions and municipalities develop their spatial plans and implement coastal defence measures in line with the National Land Use and Building Act, the National Land Use Guidelines and the National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change.
a/Initiatives at national level
In Finland, national authorities consider carefully co-ordinated planning as an important tool to meet major land use challenges such as urbanisation as well as potential climate change risks in coastal areas.
The most important legislation to be mentioned with regard to land use, spatial planning and construction in Finland is the Land Use and Building Act, which came into force in 2000. Under this act, a set of long-term National Land Use Guidelineswas defined for the first time in Finland, outlining land use in Finland far into the future. The main idea of these guidelines is to ensure that issues of national interest are taken into account in regional and local land use planning as well as to support the implementation of international conventions related to environmental protection, biological diversity and climate change.
In addition, national authorities, under the coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, started in 2003 with the preparation of the National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change. Two years earlier, the Finnish government submitted a government report on the National ClimateStrategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the Parliament. The Parliament stated in its response that the implementation of the National Energy and Climate Programme could bestarted but that, in addition, there was a need to formulate a programme for adapting toclimate change.
The Finnish National Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change, published in 2005, describes the present sensitivity to climate change in 15 sectors including agriculture, water resources, biodiversity, land use, building, tourism and insurance. Furthermore, the strategy outlines immediate (2005-2010), short-term (2010-2030) and long-term (2030-2080) actions to be undertaken, primarily through sectorspecific strategies and programmes. The strategy is projected to be implemented between 20062015, but no dedicated budget has been foreseen. A mid-term evaluation will determine additional measures based on new insights into the impact and adaptation to climate change.
Although coastal zones are not dealt with explicitly,relevant actionsare outlined under the water resources, land use and biodiversity sector analyses. Besides conducting flood-risk mappings of vulnerable areas and infrastructures, land use planning is highlighted as an important preventive measure to reduce flood-risk.
At national level, the main follow-up of the strategy is the creation of the Climate Change Adaptation Research Programme in the autumn of 2006. The aim of the programme is to generate information that could be useful for planning and implementing practical adaptation measures. The programme will be carried out through 16 different projects[8] during the period 2006-2010. All 16 projects are funded under the Environment Cluster Programme of the Ministry of the Environment as well as by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
b/Initiatives at sub-national level
In Finland, each municipality is expected to have a preparedness plan which takes into account all kinds of risks and accidents communities may face, including flooding. Climate change is mainlytaken into accountthrough the Environment Centre’s recommendations on construction heights which includes the risk of SLR. In addition, the National Adaptation Strategy calls for the incorporation of all possible impacts of climate change into municipal land use plans.
As flood-risk along the Finnish coast constitutes the main climate change risk, the actions undertaken in the 2 regions situated along the Gulf of Finland, namely Uusimaa and Itä-Uusimaa and their municipalities Helsinki, Espoo and Loviisa, are discussed as cases in point.
Uusimaa and Itä-Uusimaa
Uusimaa and Itä-Uusimaa are steered by their respective Regional Council and jointly supported by the Uusimaa Regional Development Centre.
The high cost of hard engineering works, the low risk of coastal flooding and the efficient weather warning system existing in Finland, have resulted in the publication of a report[9] by the Uusimaa Regional Environment Centre in 2006, outlining potential temporary flood defences that municipalities could use in case of an impending storm event likely to produce extreme flooding. The report evaluates the different measures that can be undertaken, outlines their benefits and provides the associated costs for each[10]. In the same year, the Uusimaa Regional Development Centre published building height guidelines for construction in flood-prone areas, based on the 2001 IPCC scenarios.
In 2008, the Uusimaa Regional Council prepared a ‘General Flood Map of Coastal Areas of Uusimaa’ as an output of the EU-funded ASTRA-project[11]. The risk assessment included a general survey of flood-risks mainly in Helsinki and Espoo, as well as numbers of buildings that would be flooded at different flood levels. This allowed the council to identify areas most at risk in the event of rising sea levels. Although the maps only provide a rough picture, they identify the specific areas and locations that need to be examined in further detail.
Municipality of Helsinki
The city of Helsinki is the largest city in Finland, situated in the Uusimaa region. In 2005 damaging floods occurred where the level of the sea rose 1.5m above the normal height. In response to this event, the city has prepared recently detailed maps of flood-risk sites, taking into account a 2m SLR during storm surges. Areas at risk were determined using existing maps, measurements, visits to potential flood zones and information from local residents.
Following the outcome of this mapping exercise, the Committee of Public Works of the City of Helsinki approved a preliminary plan to build 11 barriers on city land along the shoreline, aimed at protecting low-lying areas where flooding would cause significant damage to properties. The areas deemed most at risk are the neighbourhoods of Munkkiniemi, Tammisalo, Laajasalo, Vartiokylä, and Vuosaari, all located within the city of Helsinki. The construction of the barriers will take place over the next ten years[12]. The walls are only to be built on city land. Homeowners with private properties in low-lying areas that were not assessed as a priority to protect would need to set up their own flood protection.
In addition, the city of Helsinki has a storm forecasting system and sea level is monitored closely.
Municipality of Espoo
Espoo, also situated in the Uusimaa region,is with 235000 inhabitants the second largest city in Finland. Together with the Uusimaa Regional Council, the city’s planning department participated in the EU-funded ASTRA-project in order to receive the most recent results on climate change adaptation and apply them in regional land use planning.
In parallel to the start of the ASTRA-project, the city appointed a dedicated ‘flood group’ to assess flood-risk in Espoo, draw up flood maps, conduct a survey on the liabilities and responsibilities and to propose measures to be adopted in preparation for floods. The results were bundled in a report[13]at the end of 2005 and discuss the effects of major storm events, especially flooding, on city planning. The city of Espoo has not yet incorporated the results into definitive building restrictions, but it is used by city planners in their daily work.
In the Kurtilla area for example, climate change has been considered in the planning process of the area:
Building is not recommended where the ground level is under 2.5m above sea level;
Housing will be further away from the coastline;
When building on low-land, islands will be built on a ground level of 2.6 m and the lowest floor level will be 3 m;
Extra attention has been given to the location of buildings to prepare against heavy winds.
Municipality of Loviisa
Loviisa is a coastal city situated in the Itä-Uusimaa region with a population of 7400 people. The city centre is situated on LoviisaBay. The municipality of Loviisa was assessed as part of a study on the vulnerability to SLR in the Itä-Uusimaa region in the framework of the EU-funded SEAREG project[14]between 2002 and 2005. The study resulted in a rough SLRrisk map for Loviisa incorporating 3 different scenarios.
Loviisa, along with other municipalities in Finland, did not budget for SLR in the past. As awareness grows, however, SLR is being incorporated into plans for new buildings. As a result of the January 2005 storm minimum building heights in flood-risk areas were raised to 2.3m. In 2008, the city of Loviisa prepared more detailed flood maps showing different levels of flood-risk during1:50, 1:100, 1:200 and 1:500 storm events.