On 25 October 2022, the presentation of a scientific and expert publication entitled Analysis of the vulnerability of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County due to the rising sea level was held in the premises of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Rijeka.
The Institute for Physical Planning of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, in cooperation with the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Rijeka, conducted a scientific and expert analysis of the vulnerability of the coastal area of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County due to the rising sea level regarding the current situation and in relation to expected climate change and scenarios, the results of which were released in the publication.
Those present at the meeting were welcomed by: the Rector of the University of Rijeka, Prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija PhD, Head of the Administrative Department for Physical Planning, Construction and Environmental Protection of PGC, Associate Professor Koraljka Vahtar Jurković PhD and the Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Associate Professor Prof. Mladen Bulić PhD.
Presentation of the publication by the working team
Introductory address by the Rector Prof. Snježana Prijić Samaržija PhD
After an introductory presentation by the Director of the Institute for Physical Planning of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Adam Butigan, the results of the research Analysis of the vulnerability of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County due to the rising sea level were presented by the working team consisting of representatives of the Institute for Physical Planning of the University of Zagreb and the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Rijeka: project leaders Vedrana Petrović (Institute) and Docent Igor Ružić PhD (FCE RI) and working team members Gorana Ljubičić (Institute), Dado Jakupović (Institute) and Andrea Tadić (FCE RI).
Increasingly frequent and unpredictable weather problems are being caused by climate change. Scientific research and predictions of future scenarios indicate that the observed rise in sea levels in recent decades will continue and accelerate. The frequent floods in the coastal area of PGC indicated the need to conduct an analysis of the vulnerability of the county’s coastal area due to climate change, i.e. the rise in sea level. As part of the project, a primary assessment of the vulnerability of the entire coastal area of PGC was carried out, and a coastal vulnerability analysis methodology was developed, which was adapted to the specifics of the indented and geologically inhomogeneous coast of the Eastern Adriatic and PGC.
The scientific and expert analysis of the County's vulnerability made it possible to locate the most threatened areas, which need to be analysed more closely on a detailed basis for a more accurate assessment of the vulnerability. It was shown that the most endangered coastal areas are the inhabited ones, especially older settlements such as Rijeka, Cres, Susak, Mali and Veli Lošinj, Rab, Punat, Volosko and alike.
The Institute’s Director Adam Butigan and project managers Vedrana Petrović (Institute) and Docent Igor Ružić PhD (FCE RI)
This publication is just one of many measures with which the County wants to contribute to strengthening resistance to climate change. All the experts in the County who work on various strategic and planning documents should be familiar with the results of this Analysis because the expected climate changes will affect all segments of society and it is necessary to take this risk into consideration in long-term planning.