Latvia affiliates with European allies to battle the climate crisis.

Last year Latvia was hit with debilitating floods.

At the same time (click here) due to its location in vicinity of Riga Gulf and in lowland in the mouth of three major rivers Daugava, Gauja, Lielupe, Riga is especially vulnerable in respect to impacts of climate change. Unless the high climate change impact risks and possible threats, it could be recognised that awareness of stakeholders and inhabitants can be considered as low. Despite that at the national level the Climate Change Mitigation Programme 2005 - 2010 is well functioning, the adaptation approaches in both in national and local levels are generally missing in Latvia.

September 7, 2017

The damage from heavy rains and resulting floods (click here) in eastern Latvia in August this year is around €4.38 million, Janis Eglits, the parliamentary secretary of the Latvian Ministry of Environment and Regional Development, said during the debate in the parliament on September 7.

Of this amount, €1.6 million are needed for road repairs and €2.7 million for rebuilding the infrastructure, he said.

The local governments will supply co-financing in the amount of €1.31 million but €3.07 million have to be allocated from the contingency fund in the national budget.

As reported, the Latvian parliament today approved the Cabinet of Ministers decision about declaring state of emergency in agriculture in 29 regions affected by floods.

The Latvian government on August 28 passed a decree declaring a state of emergency in agriculture in 29 regions in the country's east until November 30 due to floods caused by heavy rain.

Flood damage to crops and road infrastructure in the Latgale province in eastern Latvia is estimated at several millions of euros.

Meanwhile Agriculture Minister Jānis Dūklavs, appearing on LTV September 7, said that up to 20,000 hectares of farmland may have been devastated in the flood.

The risk of coastal erosion (click here) in the future is expected and it will be widespread in Latvia shoreline. It is changing with the coast sections where accumulation is occurring and almost equally observed both along the open Baltic Sea coast (69% of its coast length) and along the Gulf of Riga (66% of its coast length).