"Climate Proofing" of key EU policies – Final report Task 1: Assessment of the most significant threats to the EU posed by the changing climate in the short, medium and long term

One of the four pillars of the EU adaptation framework is "integrating adaptation into EU key policy areas", which identifies the need for mainstreaming adaptation responses into all areas of EU policy that are impacted by climate change. The objective of mainstreaming is to ensure that the sectors covered by the policy areas are able to carry on with their core tasks even within the circumstances of a changing climate. There are a number of completed or ongoing strategies and studies in the area of mainstreaming adaptation to climate change. Further, the streamlining of expenditures of EU funds under the next financial period and the mainstreaming of climate policy targets into these funds are crucial in order to ensure that these important financial instruments contribute to the overall EU objectives of adaptation. This report assesses the most significant threats posed by the changing climate. It builds on the EU White paper on adaptation and adds the most recent findings from science.