Marta Henrich Grino

Anthesis Spain

Title: Importance of Mapping in the Analysis of Climate Change Risk Impacts and the Pathways to Resilience

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Biography

Marta Henrich is a skilled professional with a background in Geology and Environmental Sciences, complemented by a master's degree in Spatial Planning and Environmental Management. She is a certified Excel PRO Expert and is proficient in GIS software and Power BI. With over four years of experience in environmental consulting, Marta specializes in climate change, focusing on vulnerability mitigation and adaptation strategies. Her expertise extends to climate risk assessments, the development of Climate Action and Energy Sustainability Plans (PAESC), and projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, she has contributed to the creation of Partial Territorial Plans (PTP) at both local and international levels.

Abstract

The beginning of the presentation will start distinguishing between climate change mitigation and adaptation, two fundamental approaches to addressing climate challenges. However, the study has been focused on adaptation, highlighting its crucial role in enhancing resilience at different scales. To understand and reduce the impacts of climate change, it is necessary to comprehend and study the main climatic risk, which the IPCC defines as a combination of three main components: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Vulnerability itself consists of two sub-components—sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Once the components of climate risk are established and understood, it is important to talk about practical applications. It will explore methodologies for assessing climate-related risks in municipalities, provinces, territories, or specific sectors. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) over recent decades have redefined the role and potential of maps as research tools. Maps are no longer static and stable sources of information; they have evolved into interactive and dynamic tools for analysis and visualization. Particular attention will be given to the role of mapping techniques in visualizing and analyzing the spatial distribution of risk. Mapping enables the identification of the most impacted areas, focusing efforts in the real affected zones, or territories. By integrating spatial analysis into adaptation planning, it is possible to prioritize resilience-building efforts and allocate resources efficiently, in the most critical areas. However, visualizing certain climate change impacts on maps presents challenges. There are difficulties in selecting the most appropriate quantitative methods for different types of risk, determining which indicators contribute meaningfully to geographic information, and assessing when an excess of data adds complexity without real value. Finally, this study presents a selection of case studies that have successfully applied mapping techniques to analyse and address climate-related risks.