Step 1.1 Building the evidence base

Key message

It’s important to collect relevant available information to support adaptation planning, ensuring a well-prepared start to the adaptation policy cycle. This can include evidence on past weather and climate extremes, data on current and potential future climate impacts, ongoing and planned adaptation actions, and good practice adaptation examples from your region or elsewhere.

An initial review of the information allows you to assess the current status of risks and adaptation efforts in your area. The information is crucial for the climate risk assessment in Step 2.3. It also forms the basis for advocating for local adaptation, helping political leaders and citizens understand climate challenges – both current and future, and their impacts on different social groups/sectors/systems – and identify priorities for effective adaptation measures. You should use this evidence to draft a persuasive message for local and regional decision-makers, emphasising the urgency of decisive action, as outlined in Step 1.2.

You can find information from the following sources:

Data providers in your country

• Local and regional information providers: Tap into your own organisation's resources (e.g. existing data on socio-economic conditions, vulnerability assessments, environmental assessments, adaptation projects, policies and plans related to spatial planning and sustainability). Check for hazard studies or maps for your area, as current climate risks may worsen in the future. Collaborate with colleagues to organise this data efficiently and consult local studies from universities and research centres. Early involvement of citizens and other stakeholders can provide valuable insights into local issues and citizen science (for stakeholder mapping, see Step 1.3).

• National adaptation and climate portals: Check national portals for information (see Example 1.1). You can find an overview of these at Climate-ADAPT Country Profiles. The profiles provide current information on national adaptation efforts, including case studies, best practices and sub-national progress.

European platforms

Adaptation Dashboard for sub-national regions - Mission Portal
This tool, designed to assist decision-making, provides insights into climate risks and has comprehensive information on impacts and adaptation policies for European sub-national regions. It integrates data from the European Climate Data Explorer.

European Climate Data Explorer
This gives interactive access to climate indices from Climate-ADAPT and the Copernicus Climate Change Service. To see data on past, present and future climate hazards, go to ‘Overview list of all indices’.

DRMKC Risk Data Hub
A Joint Research Centre platform offering decision-making support for disaster risk management at national and sub-national levels. Key features include a composite vulnerability index, risk estimation dashboards, single-hazard analysis modules and a knowledge library with guidelines and methodologies.

ESPON Portal
Contains data, indicators and tools on a wide range of topics, including the environment, climate and energy.

European Drought Observatory
For access to diverse drought data, including precipitation measurements, satellite data and modelled soil moisture content developing your own local indicators.

European Drought Risk Atlas
Provides insights into agriculture, water supply, energy, river transport and ecosystems, aiding with risk assessment and mitigation. Sub-national drought risk assessments are available for each sector – under current and future climate projections.

European Climate and Health Observatory
Explore indicators, publications and tools related to climate change and human health – aggregated at country level and categorised by hazards, air pollution and climate-sensitive diseases (most updated after 2021).

Viewer on the exposure of vulnerable groups
Access data on exposure to flooding of vulnerable groups (country level) and social infrastructure (NUTS 2), and on urban heat island effects on social infrastructure in selected cities, to help prioritise measures equitably.