In 2020, the urgent need to improve the resilience of European society and economy to shocks of unprecedented scale became obvious in the light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The public health crisis showed that — despite plenty of early warnings — Europe is unprepared and extremely vulnerable to events of such magnitude. Under the projected trajectory of climate change, threats of a comparable degree to COVID-19 cannot be ruled out.
While climate change is a global phenomenon and its mitigation through reduced greenhouse gas emissions requires a global effort, the impacts of the changing climate are more localised and must be tackled in their given contexts. In a highly urbanised continent such as Europe, cities and towns play a crucial role in responding to climate change. This is not only because of the concentration of population and economic assets in urban areas, but also because local authorities perform key functions that are central to climate adaptation, such as land use regulation or emergency planning. This report investigates to what extent cities and towns across Europe are prepared for the increasing risks posed by climate change, focusing on extreme weather events.
Through the actions of the 2013 EU adaptation strategy and resources committed under the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020, EU support for urban adaptation has greatly advanced local climate change adaptation in Europe in recent years. As of April 2020, over 2 600 local authorities across the EEA's 38 member and collaborating countries, covering nearly 123 million people, are signatories to the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy on adaptation. Several hundred cities benefited from funding for research, implementation and knowledge exchange via the Horizon 2020, LIFE and Interreg programmes.
Most national adaptation strategies in Europe identify subnational governments as key implementing actors of adaptation, with local-level adaptation planning or climate change risk assessments mandatory in some countries. However, national-level support for local adaptation — in terms of regulation, knowledge and funding — varies among EU Member States.
Therefore, while many local authorities have realised the importance of adaptation and have started acting, progress in adaptation planning is still slow and the implementation and monitoring of actions even more so. This is largely caused by the insufficient human and financial resources available for local-level adaptation, especially in smaller cities and towns. Further engagement of the private sector, citizens and civil society can support local authorities in adaptation planning and implementation.
In addition, the adaptation actions currently planned and put into action in Europe at the local level are mostly aimed at developing knowledge, awareness or policy, with fewer material measures being implemented. This reflects the overall early stages of adaptation in Europe, as well as the generally lower costs of the institutional and social actions in comparison with physical measures. Thus, there is an urgent need for developing and putting in place tangible adaptation measures.
Heatwaves, heavy precipitation, flooding and droughts will remain the most pronounced climate change impacts facing European cities, but other risks such as wildfires and vector-borne diseases are on the rise. Climate risks are highly context‑dependent, as they depend on the hazards occurring in a given location as well as on the characteristics of the local area. Thus, local climate risk and vulnerability assessments, supported with high-quality data, are key to understanding the current and projected threats. Accessible, robust knowledge on climate change, exposure and vulnerability of local areas is key to support adaptation planning, calling for closer collaboration between cities and the research community, as well as other information holders such as the insurance industry.
Surprisingly little concrete knowledge is available about the successfulness of measures that can be used to address climate risks. The existing evidence suggests that awareness raising and early warnings are highly cost-efficient and effective in reducing climate impacts. Nature-based solutions also emerge as feasible measures, especially considering their multiple benefits for the environment and society. However, the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of most of the adaptation options require more research. Monitoring and evaluation of the actions already in place is necessary to understand what works well and which options are a sound investment of public funds.
Crucially, climate-adapted land use planning and urban design can substantially reduce the scale of future damage under the changing climate. The model of urban development involving construction in floodplains, progressive surface sealing, small amounts of green space or urban sprawl encroaching on wildfire- or landslide-prone areas magnifies the current and projected impacts from the changing climate. Planning and land use regulations that account for climate change must be put in place in all countries to ensure that European cities are safe, liveable and thriving in the future.
Yet urban adaptation to climate change is not just about changing the physical shape of our cities. The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a reminder of the risks faced by the most vulnerable groups in our society: the elderly, those in poor health or people in difficult economic situations. This calls for reflection on the justice perspective of the climate risks and adaptation actions, exploring how they affect different groups in our society. As Europe continues to battle the public health crisis, we also need to think about how we can prepare our health and social care systems, where and how we live, work and attend education for an uncertain future. Thus, making our cities more resilient to climate change requires mainstreaming adaptation into all policy areas and making it an essential part of sustainable development.
The implementation of urban adaptation should be supported by concerted action at all levels of governance. Urban- and local-level adaptation is firmly anchored in national adaptation strategies, key international frameworks and EU policy, but adaptation generally lags behind climate mitigation with regard to binding EU legislation. The current developments in EU policy under the European Green Deal — including the proposed European climate law, the new EU adaptation strategy and others — offer the opportunity to further emphasise the importance of adaptation as a key policy area that ensures the liveability and prosperity of European cities, towns and settlements. Importantly, streamlined monitoring and reporting of local adaptation plans and actions are vital for measuring the progress of local adaptation across Europe, identifying gaps and effective targeting of EU and national support.
Source: Kazmierczak, A., Bittner, S., Breil, M., Coninx, I., Johnson, K., Kleinenkuhnen, L., Kochova, T., Lauwaet, D., Orsted Nielsen, H., Smith, H., & Zandersen, M. (2020). Urban adaptation in Europe: how cities and towns respond to climate change. (EEA report; No. 12/2020). European Environment Agency (EEA). https://doi.org/10.2800/324620