News Archive

Shifting climate conditions are increasingly affecting global agricultural production. Prolonged droughts, changes in soil moisture or more frequent and intense floods are putting pressure on crops, irrigation systems and land management practices. To measure if adaptation is underway, the OECD developed 17 indicators to assess countries’ adaptation progress in agricultural production that can both assess progress made and identify remaining adaptation needs and policy gaps.

At least 95% of Europe experienced above-average annual temperatures in 2025, according to the European State of the Climate Report compiled by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report highlights that Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average, making it the fasters warming continent. The article includes the full report, as well as an interactive viewer.

Urban green spaces enhance quality of life, mitigating high temperatures, heat islands, noise pollution, and poor air quality. However, a study carried out by the European Commission in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen found that less than 15% of the European urban population has full access to green spaces under the "3-30-300" greening principle. The findings also reveal that wealthier neighborhoods enjoy significantly higher levels of tree cover and proximity to nature than lower-income areas.

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) states that climate adaptation and mitigation depend on how water systems are managed. This policy brief sets out five priority shifts to move from fragmented approaches to more coherent and effective water governance. Together, these shifts provide a practical framework for aligning how water systems function with how policy, finance, and implementation are organized, to strengthen coherence, align investments, and support implementation at scale.

Wildfires have burned swathes of forest across Europe in recent years, but carefully deploying grazing livestock to high-risk areas can reduce their vulnerability to fire, as two LIFE projects have found. The approach known as agroforestry, allows cattle, sheep or goats to wander between the trees, where they eat and trample vegetation that could provide fuel for a wildfire.

Almost 8 thousand fires occuring in 25 of the 27 EU Member States resulted in 1 079 538 burnt hectares. This marks the highest burnt area in the EU27 ever recorded by EFFIS since 2006, nearly double the 2006-2024 average. The 2025 season reflects a clear trend: an earlier start, more frequent and intense heat waves, and fires reaching higher latitudes than historically observed.

The NbS Library, developed by the EU-funded project LandShift and Metabolic Institute, is an interactive platform built on the systematic identification and curation of implemented NbS cases across Europe. Each case is categorised by ecosystem type, land-use challenge, and solution approach, enabling users to explore and compare options tailored to their specific needs.

The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in advancing evidence-based research on natural catastrophe risks. Key areas of cooperation will include enhancing risk assessment methodologies and improving the collection and analysis of disaster loss data.

Peatland provides a buffer against heavy rainfall, stores water for periods of drought and they are natural air conditioners. A new support programme in Germany aims at rewetting 90,000 hectares of land in the next few years. The funding is aimed at land owners, land managers, water and soil associations.

A major international study analysed daily temperature and mortality data in Europe and found that the implementation of heat prevention plans is associated with a reduction of about 25% in excess deaths attributable to extreme heat. They prove that early warning systems, clear communication, and protection measures for at-risk people are not only good practice but measurably effective public health tools in a warming world.

A new paper led by Deltares and Utrecht University reveals that Europe has far more opportunities to accelerate climate adaptation than usually is recognised. Rather than responding only when climate risks become urgent, the study showcases how political momentum, public support, availability of resources, technological innovation and/or routine maintenance cycles may accelerate adaptation action.

The EU-funded project KNOWING released its Expandable Impact Interaction Model Framework, which covers transport, energy demand and supply, microclimate, health, land use, and flooding. The integrated approach makes it possible to capture cross-sectoral feedback loops, time delays, and the unintended side-effects of climate interventions.

As wildfires are getting larger, more frequent, and more destructive, the European Commission is presenting a new integrated approach to wildfire risk management, which covers prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This holistic approach will enhance Europe's resilience against the growing threat of wildfires and ensure stronger protection for Europeans and the environment, as well as its infrastructure and cultural heritage.

To support the implementation of the Programme for Nordic Co-operation on the Environment and Climate 2025–2027, The Nordic Climate Adaptation Programme (NCAP) invites applications for grants to Nordic collaborative projects focusing on adaptation investments and the potential to reduce risks, create value, and be effectively financed, or climate change impact on biodiversity and the potential to mitigate associated risks. The call for applications is open from 8 April 2026 and closes on 24 May 2026, 23:59 (CET).

The EU-funded REGILIENCE+ project has published the results of a needs assessment conducted with 147 stakeholders from 27 countries on the implementation of adaptation projects. These findings provide a clear roadmap of the specific challenges and requirements facing local and regional authorities, offering valuable insights into how EU Mission projects can better tailor their solutions to support regional climate resilience.

The newest State of Climate report from the World Meteorological Organization finds that the Earth’s climate is more out of balance than at any time in observed history, as greenhouse gas concentrations drive continued warming of the atmosphere and ocean and melting of ice. These large-scale changes have occurred within a few decades but will have harmful repercussions for hundreds – and potentially thousands – of years.

The European Commission adopted new guidance to help Member States adapt the Natura 2000 network of protected natural sites to the growing pressures of climate change. It provides recommendations on practical adaptation measures and a climate adaptation framework for Natura 2000 managers, national authorities and stakeholders responsible for safeguarding Europe's most precious habitats and species.

A new report from The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies shows that climate hazards such as heat, drought and wildfires disproportionately affect Southern and Southeastern Europe, while flooding increasingly impacts Central and Northern regions. These uneven pressures translate into widening socio-economic disparities, particularly in agriculture, infrastructure, health and the broader economy. However, climate adaptation can turn risk into resilience.

A new early warning system has been launched in Latvia to address the increasing flood risk due to snowmelt and heavy precipitation. The system, building on a previous sensor-based application operating in the city of Jelgava, will deliver alerts to residents and authorities in the Zemgale region, a flat territory with dense river network. It received funding from the Horizon 2020 IMPETUS project and was an outcome achieved due to collaboration of the Jelgava Digital Center, the Zemgale Planning Region, the Latvian Environment Geology and Meteorology Center and the Baltic Environmental Forum.

The newest Climate-ADAPT search assistant upgrade brings several enhancements designed to mprove performance, reliability, and user experience. Key new features include DeepResearch capabilities enabling more comprehensive responses, Multi step Reasoning, and Fact Check AI, which offers greater stability and trustworthiness.

The Norwegian Environment Agency, together with the Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs, has commissioned a comprehensive literature mapping on links between climate change and social inequality. The report, which will inform Norway’s forthcoming national climate vulnerability assessment, indicates that climate related events tend to deepen existing inequalities. The report is written in Norwegian, but includes an English summary and key findings.

This report compiles the results of the project “Municipal Survey: Where Do Municipalities Stand in Adapting to Climate Change and How Do They Arrive at Multifunctional and Transformative Adaptation Solutions?”, provides guidance on how to strengthen municipal adaptation in Germany, and identifies future research needs. The report is in German, but there is an extensive English summary.

The EEA Management Board formally endorsed the Republic of Moldova as a cooperating country of the EEA and Eionet. This reflects a closer cooperation between the EEA and the Republic of Moldova on environment protection, including adaptation to climate change. Climate-ADAPT will gradually build up covering the country in the Climate-ADAPT resources and services.

Two new policy briefs have been published in the EU-funded LAND4CLIMATE project, highlighting that scaling up nature-based solutions on private land requires building long-term trust with landowners, simplifying administrative and legal procedures, providing clear economic incentives, and strengthening local technical capacity to move from fragmented action to more systematic and effective implementation.

A new European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing shows that with targeted investment, stronger governance and better monitoring of climate risks and adaptation, Europe can move from reactive crisis management to proactive resilience — stabilising farm incomes and safeguarding longterm agricultural productivity.