According to a recent report by the Finnish Climate Change Panel, heavy rains, floods and increasing water volumes are expected to hit Finland over the next 30 years.
A new report published on Thursday painted a more complete picture of the effects of climate change on the whole of Finland and outlined the severity of the expected effects in the provinces.
The report also emphasized the urgency of adaptation measures in addition to reducing emissions and raised the risk of severe floods above the risks of heat waves, droughts or storms.
According to the research professor at the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the director of the study on the effects of climate change, the increase in rainfall will be noticeable mainly between October and February. Hilppa Gregow.
"We can confidently infer more abundant rainfall from the analyzes. For example, wind does not seem to be a growing risk other than rain," Gregow said.
Southwestern and northern Finland have the worst floods
Some areas are less affected by increased rainfall. According to the latest report, Pori has the highest flood risk in Finland, Rovaniemi second.
Finland’s southern coast and Kymenlaakso have to fight both heavy rains and sea floods. "drinking water and heating in areas at serious risk," Gregow said.
Increasing amounts of snow in Lapland also cause more flooding as it melts in the spring. This is in addition to the rains during the rest of the year.
"All urban areas need to be carefully assessed for risks so that they do not find themselves in the same situation as German cities last summer," Gregow warned.
The report warns that adaptation measures are needed now
The report of the Finnish Climate Change Panel further emphasized that adaptation measures to climate change should already be under way and that Finland will have to adapt to the effects of climate change much more severely in the coming years.
"Our soil is not used to rain all year round. We haven’t proven this before," Gregow said.
According to the report, the effects of extreme weather events, such as floods, can cause damage of around four million euros a year in Helsinki and Espoo alone. Without action, annual climate damage could increase by 16-120% by 2050 and even more by 2100.
The key problem is the heavy rainfall caused by climate change. Over the next ten years, rainfall is forecast to rise another two to four percent, FMI meteorologist Gregow said.
"If we go even further, rainfall will increase by 8-9% per year. That’s five times more than we’ve seen so far." he told Yle.
The summer floods in Germany were caused by six times the average rainfall.
"And there were shocking disasters. This is just the beginning, we haven’t seen anything yet," Gregow added.
The story continues after the picture.
Sirkku Juhola, A professor at the University of Helsinki and a member of the climate panel, reiterates Gregow’s concern about Finland’s unpreparedness.
"Provincial adaptation and risk assessment are very premature. There are no systematic risk assessments in any province," Juhola said.
According to Juhola, major infrastructure projects should do more to take into account possible future scenarios of climate change or the risk of becoming unusable by the end of the century.
Juhola also urged people to draw up their own preparedness plans to adapt to climate change and minimize the negative social and economic consequences.
"Adaptation is the responsibility of the property owner. If you own properties or wooded areas that are vulnerable to immediate impacts, they should check what insurance is available. As for the risk of sudden floods, it is worth considering what to do if water starts to come through the door," Juhola explained.