A new EEA report " Adaptation of cities in Europe " emphasizes the urgent need to adapt our cities - where the majority of Europeans live - to climate change. It inspires and supports action by providing an overview of the policy and practice responses that cities are adopting. Investments in the resilience of urban society can protect the health and well-being of many Europeans from the adverse effects of climate change, such as heat waves and floods.

The report can be viewed at the EEA website .

The EEA report "Adapting Europe's Cities" highlights the urgent need for European cities to adapt to climate change and provides an overview of the measures they are taking. The report provides a rich source of information to support climate change adaptation policies across Europe, from EU to municipal level.

As European cities increasingly feel the effects of climate change, such as heat waves and flooding, there is a clear case for investing in the resilience of urban society, says the EEA report. Cities play a vital role in the implementation of adaptation measures, which must take into account local conditions and specific vulnerabilities. (More on eea.europa.eu)

Adaptation to climate change is a complex process that requires long-term investment and planning. It is important that our cities and municipalities prepare for this process and implement it successfully. Climate change affects both natural systems (forests, soil, water bodies, ecosystems) as well as systems dependent on natural resources (agriculture, forestry, fishing, water management, industry, trade) - that is, all areas of human life and health. (More on enviroportal.sk)

"The 3-30-300 Rule," What Is It About? "This means that when I open the window, I must see at least three trees, that my neighborhood must be covered with at least 30 % of greenery, with a park or garden available within 300 meters," he explains. (More on tf1info.fr)

On 17 April 2024, the Commission adopted an amendment to the Horizon Europe Work Program 2023-2024 to mobilize previously unallocated Horizon Europe funds to increase the 2024 budget by almost €1.4 billion to €7.3 billion.

This amendment includes an investment of almost EUR 650 million in EU missions to enable the implementation of the communication "EU Missions two years on: Assessing progress and the way forward", which was adopted on 19 July 2023. For the EU Mission for Adaptation Change, freed up 124 million euros.

As part of the Mission on Adapting to Climate Change, they are now on  funding and tender portals published new opportunities to support ideas on adaptation to climate change under the Horizon Europe 2023-2024 work programme. (More on climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu)

We invite you to participate in the Climate-ADAPT survey and its two sub-sites, the European Observatory on Climate and Health and the EU Mission on Climate Change Adaptation Portal. (more…)

Climate change is in our daily news, from new environmental standards, extreme weather incidents, smart ideas and solutions and communities taking action. But those directly involved in climate action may feel the task of continuing their work too much in the face of adversity, slow pace or lack of urgency. LIFE Natur'Adapt has integrated climate change into the management of protected areas in Europe to support and guide the managers of protected areas responsible for them. (More on cinea.ec.europa.eu)

part of the cluster of natural resources and food together with the working group for bioeconomy and the working group for blue economy. The Climate Adaptation Task Force directs and structures ERRIN's work on mission adaptation – building on previous ERRIN activities while engaging members in current mission opportunities and activities. The working group further supports in managing the work of ERRIN mission adaptation projects and at the same time deals with topics relevant to the local and regional implementation of the mission. (More on errin.eu)

The Climate Change Adaptation Mission aims to support EU regions, cities and local authorities in their efforts to build resilience to the impacts of climate change. (more…)

A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that records for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean warming and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice and glacier retreat have again been broken and in some cases broken.

Heat waves, floods, droughts, wildfires and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones have caused misery and chaos, upended daily life for millions and caused many billions of dollars in economic losses, according to the WMO State of the Global Climate 2023 report.

The WMO report confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with a global mean surface temperature of 1.45°C (with an uncertainty margin of ±0.12°C) above the pre-industrial baseline. It was the warmest decade on record.

"Sirens are blaring in all the main indicators... Some records are not only at the top of the charts, but are being broken. And the changes are accelerating," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. (More on wmo.int)

Cities and regions are at the forefront of the fight against climate change. Although they have a great responsibility in this regard, they often lack the tools to implement solutions. Integrated energy, climate and spatial planning offers a potential tool for ambitious climate action.

Key insights

Adapting to climate change means taking measures to prepare for and adapt to the current effects of climate change, as well as anticipated impacts in the future. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Although we have committed to reducing net global emissions to zero by 2050, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will continue to increase in the coming decades and average global temperatures will rise.

As the climate warms, it will bring with it all kinds of risks. From more frequent extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts or floods to coastal erosion caused by rising sea levels, the impacts will affect everyone.

Therefore, the Commission adopted on 24 February 2021 the new EU adaptation strategy. ( More on climate.ec.europa.eu)

In our daily lives, resilience and adaptation help us overcome major challenges and turn problems into effective solutions. Similarly, climate change adaptation means adapting to a warmer world in order to protect people, nature, our prosperity and way of life.

The climate and biodiversity crisis in Europe and around the world challenges us all to join forces and act in new and innovative ways. Adapting to climate change requires understanding, planning and acting in ways that not only reduce the negative impacts of climate change, but also create new opportunities to become safer and more resilient. ( More on research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu)

As climate change accelerates, there is increasing urgency for countries to implement key plans that build resilience to the impacts of climate change. To do this, they need adequate funding, as well as national capacity and know-how to access available funding. This was the key takeaway from the UNFCCC Climate Change Adaptation Committee's virtual dialogue this month.

Funding is needed for adaptation measures ranging from building seawalls against rising sea levels to increasing the resilience of health systems in communities hit by increasingly frequent and severe storms and heat waves. (More on unfccc.int)