Climate change mitigation - State and impacts (Romania)

Climate change means mitigation and adaptation. 

In terms of mitigation, the Kyoto Protocol comitment to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases during 2008-2012 will be over-met mainly due to the restructuring and decline of industry.

As a Member State, Romania has been implementing the EU-ETS scheme with a contribution representing about 47% from its national total greenhouse gas emissions.

Located at the half distance from pole and equator (crossed by the 45° parallel),  Romania is characterized by a temperate continental climate.Between the south and the north of Romania there is a difference of about 3°C related to the the anual average temperature at the same altitude.

In comparison with the annual global average temperature increase of 0.6 ⁰Cin 1901-2000, in Romania the annual average increase  was of  0.3⁰Conly.During  1901-2006,  the increase was of 0.5⁰Ccompared to 0.75⁰Cat the global level (1906-2005).

There were thermal diferentiations between regions:more pronounced warming in south and east sides of the country (up to 0.8^oC at Bucharest-Filaret station, Constanţa and Roman) and insignificant warming in the Intra-Carpathian regions, except Baia Mare, where the effect of the anthropogenic activity led to a 0.7^oC increase (Figure 1).

The rainfall regime during 1901-2000, according to long series of observation data from 14 stations, has been characterized by a general tendancy of decreasing of the annual amount of precipitations. As of 1960, the review of short series of data from more metheorological stations revealed an intensification of the drought phenomenon in the south of our country. In compliance   with this observation, the maximum periods of lack of precipitations have increased in the south-west (winter) and west (summer) regions. 

The increased warming during summer in the south east of the country  asociated with a severe tendancy towards a water deficit  lead to the enhancement of the aridity of this region.In certain regions, during 1946-1999, it was observed an increase of the annual frequency of the very rainy  days (highest 12% daily quantities) and of the extremely rainy days  (highest 4% daily quantities). During 2000-2007 in Romania there were  two extreme pluviometric opposite events (the drought from 2000 and 2007 and the floods from 2005 and 2006). The winter between 2006-2007 was  the hottest winter ever occurred since observational measurements started in Romania, when pronounced deviations of maximum/minimum temperatures from the average multiannual regime persisted for long periods of time.

The longest drought periods in the 20^thcentury had a climax  reference year:1904, 1946, 1990. The most affected zone by the hydrological drought in the latest decades of the 20^thcentury and the beginning of the 21^stcentury was the south, with excessive aspects for Oltenia.

While there is difficult to assess clearly the impact of climate change on specific sectors, more scientists indicate the necessity to focus the research on climate change in order to improve understanding on the future scenarios and on economic, social and natural consequences of meteorological events including extremes.