Supporting Georgia to advance their NAP process

Georgia is a country in the south-eastern part of Europe, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It is home to dozens of lakes and rivers, vast swamps and glaciers, and its climate ranges from humid, subtropical and maritime in the west to semi-desert in parts of the east. The negative consequences of climate change are already visible in Georgia. The main indicators are increasing temperatures, shrinking glaciers, sea level rise, the reduction and redistribution of river flows, decreasing snowfall, and an upward shift of the snowline. More extreme weather events like flooding, landslides, forest fires, and coastal erosion are increasing in frequency. All these processes cause significant economic losses and human casualties. 

 

Georgia is listed as a lower middle-income economy by the United Nations and is ranked 70 out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (2018). The country exports citrus fruits, tea and grapes, and is also known for its distinct winemaking tradition. A changing climate will significantly impact these agricultural industries. Recent years have brought both droughts and heavy rainstorms, each wreaking their own damage on infrastructure and agriculture. The coastal zone is also considered extremely vulnerable due to rising sea levels, tidal waves, floods, underwater currents, and river sediment deposits, all being intensified due to climate change. 

 

Georgia has a number of policy documents and strategies that directly address climate change impacts, the reduction of risks of hazards, and means to safeguard economic development plans in-line with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The Socio-economic Development Strategy of Georgia highlights climate change issues as a national priority through 2020. Georgia also committed to its pledges to the Paris Agreement, which it ratified in May 2017. Its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the UNFCCC stipulates that the country will develop its first NAP to be more prepared for the adverse effects of climate change. Agriculture is named as one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change and the country's limited capacity to adapt is also recognised as a key challenge, culminating in the following adaptation objectives: (a) national capacity to develop adaptation strategies; (b) policy makers’ capacity for adaptation planning; (c) capacity of communities to reduce their vulnerability to adverse impacts of future climate hazards; and (d) capacity of national health system to manage long-term climate change-sensitive health risks. These are also listed as priorities within the document.