Climate change adaptation in European cities, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

Jeremy G Carter. 2011. Climate change adaptation in European cities, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 3 (3), pp. 193-198, ISSN 1877-3435, 10.1016/j.cosust.2010.12.015. This article introduces the science-policy context framing climate change adaptation in Europe. It gives an overview of climate change adaptation policy and practice in European cities and discusses barriers limiting progress on the development of adaptation responses. There are some examples of adaptation from policy and practice that demonstrate positive activity in this field and offer transferable lessons to other cities aiming to address the impacts of a changing climate. However, the article highlights remaining barriers to progress that relate to issues such as policy and governance frameworks, and more nebulous issues including complexity and uncertainty in climate science and institutional structures. These barriers must be acknowledged and addressed as a part of an approach that responds holistically to the adaptation challenge that faces European cities in the coming decades.