News Archive
Climate-ADAPT country profiles offer updated information on national adaptation actions
02 Oct 2023In March 2023, EU Member States complied with their second mandatory reporting of national adaptation actions under the Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, following the requirements of the first implementing regulation. Additionally, EEA member countries outside the EU were encouraged to voluntarily report on adaptation efforts. Based on this 2023 governmental reporting, the Climate-ADAPT country profiles offer a structured overview of each country's adaptation actions with links to public submissions.
LIFE peatland restoration projects meet up to boost climate action
21 Sep 2023The LIFE Platform Meeting held in April 2023 in Berlin between two LIFE projects has brought collaboration for the restoration of threatened iconic peatlands. Denmark's LIFEraisedbogs and Marches Mosses BogLIFE in the UK are committed to restoring peatlands, vital for biodiversity, water conservation and retention, flood protection and tackling climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Most forests are less able to cope with hazards under climate change
21 Sep 2023Climate change is weakening forests around the world. Increased climate variability and water shortages have made forests in warmer regions less able to recover from natural and anthropogenic disruptions. The study, led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, provides new evidence of climate change’s effects on forests in Europe and around the world. It stresses the need to adopt ‘resilience thinking’ – managing the environment for resilience – if we are to solve forest management challenges in times of rapid climatic change.
The geography of future climate risk: Climate ranking of Norwegian municipalities
18 Sep 2023The Norwegian Research Centre on Sustainable Climate Change Adaptation (NORADAPT) has developed the first comprehensive climate ranking of all Norwegian municipalities. Covering 12 indicators, NORADAPT has gathered data on expected climate and societal changes, and compared these data with actions the municipalities are taking to adapt to climate change. This provides a picture of the total climate risk for Norwegian municipalities in the future.
Severe drought: western Mediterranean faces low river flows and crop yields earlier than ever
01 Sep 2023A new report by the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC)’s Copernicus Global Drought Observatory on drought in the western Mediterranean reveals the extent of the water shortage hitting the region. The severe drought is reducing soil moisture and river flows, and stunting plants and crops during their crucial growing season.
Knowledge exchange to build resilience: what cities can learn as they adapt to climate change
31 Aug 2023Throughout the Covenant of Mayor’s Policy Support Facility (PSF) twinning programme, eight municipalities from Spain, Italy, Greece, France and Germany were paired together to offer opportunity to exchange on best practices, lessons learnt, and to evaluate what could be applied in their city regarding developing adaptation strategies and building resilience to the adverse effects of climate change.
New Budapest Declaration commits European countries to develop ‘Health National Adaptation Plans’
30 Aug 2023Adopted on 7 July 2023 by the countries of the WHO European Region, the Budapest Declaration formulates political commitments and actions to address the health risks posed by the triple crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. It could become a real game-changer for the health sector’s engagement with climate change, and for the climate policy contribution to health. With regard to adaptation policy, a key commitment is the development, updating and implementation of ‘Health National Adaptation Plans’, either as standalone documents, or as a part of wider National Adaptation Plans.
New Climate-ADAPT case study published: 'Landscape and watershed Recovery Programme for the Košice Region (Slovakia)'
28 Aug 2023Southeast of the Slovak Republic is covered by arable land and forests that are suffering from combined impacts of climate change and unsound land management. Based on past successful initiatives, the Košice region is implementing an ambitious Restoration Programme to reduce water runoff, counteract drought and heat waves, through different types of water retention structures in forests, agricultural land and cities. This case study will help fill a gap in terms of geographical coverage of case studies (Central Europe) on Climate-ADAPT.
Adaptation to climate change of schoolyards in Spain
24 Aug 2023The Foundation of Natural Heritage of Castilla y Leon has developed a climate adaptation program for public schools, together with the Governmental Regional Departments of Environment and Education of the Junta de Castilla y Leon in Spain. This program, financed by ‘Recovery assistance for cohesion and the territories of Europe’ (REACT-EU), supports the awareness and implementation of adaptation measures to climate change in outdoor spaces of educational centers, through actions based on Nature-based solutions. The Evaluation Commission recently selected 65 applications.
LIFE projects aim to reduce forest fires across Europe
23 Aug 2023At the height of the 2023 summer heatwave, more than one hundred wildfires were burning across southern Europe as temperatures topped 40 degrees Celsius. The need to find long-term solutions to one of the most destructive impacts of climate change is more urgent than ever. Several LIFE projects across Europe are applying innovative ways both to reduce the number of fires and their impact.