Impact, adaptation and mitigation of climate change in Croatianagriculture

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. Anthropogenic activities add large amounts of greenhouse gasses (GHG) to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, amplifying the greenhouse effect and causing climate change. One of the sectors most affected by climate change is agriculture, which is not only a victim of climate change, but also its cause. Therefore, in addition to climate change adaptation measures in agriculture, it is necessary to undertake climate change mitigation measures as well. Mitigation of climate change in agriculture can be achieved by reducing GHG emissions from the sector Agriculture and by increasing GHG removals through sinks within the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector. Adaptation to climate change refers to responses to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their impacts in order to reduce vulnerability to negative impacts or the potential damage, or to take advantage of opportunities associated with positive climate change impacts. Agrometeorology plays a crucial role in assessing which actions will lead to improved agricultural productivity, either by minimizing risks from adverse weather conditions or by taking advantage of the positive aspects of climate change.