Mayors Adapt -The Covenant of Mayors Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change

In parallel with reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change, the European Union also needs to strengthen its resilience to the inevitable impacts of climate change, now and for the future. The success of Europe’s adaptation efforts is critically influenced by the action of cities and local authorities. Those major centres of population and infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and other effects of climate change.

Mayors Adapt is an initiative of the European Commission’s Directorate General Climate Action to engage cities in taking action to adapt to climate change. It is launched in the context of the EU Adaptation Strategy and is implemented within the Covenant of Mayors, the flagship European initiative for cities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Mayors Adapt is supported by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Mitigating climate emissions and adapting  infrastructure and policies to climate impacts are both crucial elements in building more sustainable cities. Mayors Adapt provides a framework for local authorities to take action on the second of these elements, providing a platform for greater engagement and networking by cities, and raise public awareness about adaptation and the measures needed.
Cities signing up to the initiative commit to contributing to the overall aim of the EU Adaptation Strategy by developing a comprehensive local adaptation strategy or integrating adaptation to climate change into relevant existing plans.