Newsletter #4

Déjà vu in Copenhagen

It happened again. Early in the evening, on Saturday 2 July – less than a year after Copenhagen last experienced a powerful thunderstorm - the city was struck again by an extraordinarily intense rainstorm. The water caused extensive damage to roads and buildings in large sections of the city.


The Danish Meteorological Institute after the heavy rain. Photo by Finn Majlergaard.

In the Botanical Garden, 135 millimetres – or two months’ rain - were measured. The sewage system was heavily overloaded and the streets resembled canals. Hundreds of basements were flooded and several Copenhagen motorways were closed for more than 24 hours.

This newsletter contains a new case concerning how Danish coastal municipalities can raise the minimum spot heights in harbour areas.

The City of Copenhagen has prepared a Climate Adaptation Plan which addresses the climate challenges that the City of Copenhagen is facing. The plan points to solutions that will help prepare the Danish capital for climate change.

The Danish Road Directorate has participated in the international research project, SWAMP, which identifies vulnerable ’Blue Spots’ on the road network and lays down guidelines for, how roads can be climate change adapted.

The final section contains a brief description of a new Intereg project, WaterCap, which will be initiated in autumn 2011. The project will provide recommendations for future implementation of directives affected by climate change.

On 1 January, 2011, the Information Centre for Climate Change Adaptation was moved within the Ministry of Climate and Energy - from the Danish Energy Agency to the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI). Regrettably, this relocation has
caused slightly longer intervals between the last newsletters.