ClimaResponse – Responsive Local Action for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

ClimaResponse is a transnational project helping municipalities and regional authorities in the Baltic Sea Region improve their climate resilience by providing practical tools, evidence-based approaches, and innovative solutions for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

Led by the Council of the Baltic Sea States and co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, ClimaResponse brings together twelve partners, including municipalities, research institutions, and regional organisations, to support local authorities in planning, implementing, and sustaining climate adaptation strategies.

The project aims to overcome regional and local authorities’ challenges in implementing climate resilience strategies. ClimaResponse will co-create and pilot social and technological innovations that will be integrated into a step-wise model for climate resilience planning and implementation within a digital platform. The platform builds on existing resources and structures within the consortium, the Baltic Sea region and the EU. At the same time, it offers local authorities more detailed guidance and examples that make the uptake of innovations more feasible. 

Building on previous CBSS initiatives like ClimaLoc (2021–2023), the Handbook on Local Climate Adaptation and Resilience, and the CASCADE (2019-2022), the project ensures that local authorities have access to tested methodologies and best practices for long-term climate resilience.

Key activities

• Piloting climate adaptation solutions in municipalities across the BSR.
• Developing the Digital Planning Platform, a structured knowledge-sharing online resource for local governments and step-by-step adaptation planning.
• Strengthening cross-border collaboration between municipalities, researchers, and civil society on climate resilience.
• Launching awareness campaigns to support local climate adaptation efforts.
• Hosting training sessions and workshops to equip municipal decision-makers with practical strategies on climate resilience and adaptation.

SEI Tallinn in the project

SEI Tallinn will provide expertise in developing guidance for weather sensor networks and an integrated tool for monitoring and visualizing climate adaptation effects. SEI Tallinn will also coordinate the model for engaging civil society in climate resilience planning and implementation. SEI Tallinn contributes to designing and developing the climate resilience digital platform and translating it into Estonian. Additionally, SEI Tallinn will oversee the piloting of sensor networks, support monitoring efforts, and assist in implementing pilots in Lääne-Harju Municipality. Lastly, SEI Tallinn will help disseminate the digital planning tool to other municipalities in the Baltic Sea region and to other SEI centres.

Project partners

• Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat (lead partner)
• Åbo Akademi University
• Association Klaipeda Region
• Gävle Municipality
• Lääne-Harju Municipality
• Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments
• Mid Sweden University
• Municipality of Kristiansand
• “Pomorskie in the European Union Association”
• Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre
• The Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities (AECM)
• Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission c/o City of Turku

Funding

The ClimaResponse project runs from March 2025 to February 2028, with a total budget of three million euros, co-financed by the EU-backed Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme.