Striving to Adapt to Climate Change: Lessons from Albania

Albania is highly vulnerable to extreme weather, particularly floods and droughts, despite having 100 per cent renewable power generation. To address this, the government established the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Climate Change in 2014 and developed a National Adaptation Plan (NAP), making it the only Balkan country to do so. With support from the NAP Global Network and GIZ, Albania has integrated adaptation into its National Strategy on Climate Change (approved July 2, 2019) and is working on urban resilience through 'Action 12', which requires an estimated USD 50 million in funding for municipal adaptation plans.

• Albania faces extreme climate vulnerability, ranking as the most exposed and vulnerable European country to natural hazards and extreme events. Between 1997 and 2017, recurring floods affected over 550,000 people and caused USD 218 million in damages, while the European Environment Agency identifies Albania as having the highest level of drought severity per decade in Europe.
• Albania is the only country in the Balkan region to have developed a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) document. This process included the 2014 creation of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Climate Change (IMWG) and culminated in the government's approval of the National Strategy on Climate Change on July 2, 2019, which incorporates the NAP and its financing strategy.
• The NAP Global Network has provided critical support to Albania since 2016, including assisting with the first-ever NAP Assembly on June 29, 2016. This partnership has helped mainstream adaptation into midterm budget planning, define climate-proof indicators for regional infrastructure, and address gaps resulting from 2017 institutional changes.
• A primary current focus is 'Action 12' of the NAP, which aims to develop municipal climate change adaptation plans. Implementing this action is estimated to cost USD 50 million, primarily through grants, and requires a strategy to access international funds, investment banks, and local funders.

APA

noauthor (2019). Striving to Adapt to Climate Change: Lessons from Albania. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/2019/10/striving-to-adapt-to-climate-change-lessons-from-albania/

Chicago

noauthor. Striving to Adapt to Climate Change: Lessons from Albania. NAP Global Network, 2019. https://napglobalnetwork.org/2019/10/striving-to-adapt-to-climate-change-lessons-from-albania/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=noauthor |title=Striving to Adapt to Climate Change: Lessons from Albania |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=29 October 2019 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/2019/10/striving-to-adapt-to-climate-change-lessons-from-albania/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{noauthor2019striving, author = {noauthor}, title = {{Striving to Adapt to Climate Change: Lessons from Albania}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/2019/10/striving-to-adapt-to-climate-change-lessons-from-albania/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }