News Archive
Fit for 55 Package turns EU's climate target into climate action
14 Jul 2021The European Commission has released the “Fit for 55” package, a suite of measures that will underpin the European Union’s efforts to reach its pledge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. Part of the larger EU Green Deal, the package includes policy proposals that define the pathway for the EU's ambition to fulfil its contribution under the Paris Agreement. It includes all elements of the Green Deal including the new EU's Climate Adaptation Strategy. It is the Commission's proposal for the legislative tools to deliver on the targets agreed in the European Climate Law.
Global campaign to catalyze resilient action: Cities Race to Resilience
14 Jul 2021The Race to Resilience is a global campaign run by the COP26 Presidency and High-Level Climate Champions to rally leadership and support from cities, regions, businesses and investors to help frontline communities build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Race to Resilience aims to catalyse action by non-state actors to build the resilience of 4 billion people from vulnerable groups and communities to climate risks.
Citizen support for climate action
12 Jul 2021In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, Europeans remain very concerned about climate change and support action across the EU to tackle it, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey by the European Commission. European citizens now identify climate change as the single most serious problem facing the world. A majority of the respondents agrees that adapting to the adverse impacts of climate change can have positive outcomes for citizens in the EU.
Report shows uneven impacts of climate change for the EU financial sector
06 Jul 2021The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) have published the “Climate-related risk and financial stability”, a report that maps out prospective financial stability risks and establishes a detailed topology of physical and transition risks arising from climate change across regions, sectors and firms.
New European climate law creates 'duty to adapt'
05 Jul 2021In June 2021, the Council of the EU adopted the new European climate law. It sets into legislation the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050. It also requires EU institutions to ‘ensure continuous progress in enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change’, thereby making adaptation a legal requirement for the EU for the first time.
Impact of heat waves during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learned from Summer 2020
24 Jun 2021On 12 May 2021 the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) held a webinar to discuss how COVID-19 affected heat waves risks in 2020. Experts were discussing the key lessons learned by the national public health institutes and other public health stakeholders, and exchanged solutions and good practices.
European Commission invites project proposals on the health impacts of climate change - €60 million available under the Horizon Europe programme
23 Jun 2021The aim of this call for project proposals topic is to identify, monitor and quantify the direct and indirect impacts on human health, including in occupational settings, and related risk factors correlated to climate change. Projects are expected to contribute, inter alia to the European Climate and Health Observatory.
Accounting for ecosystems and their services in the European Union
23 Jun 2021A new report shows that EU’s ecosystems generated an annual flow of selected seven ecosystem services at the value of € 172 billion. Restoring degraded ecosystems, which helps climate regulation and in protection against natural disasters, has the potential to double nature’s contribution to the EU economy.
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022 published
21 Jun 2021The European Commission adopted the Work Programme 2021-2022 of the new EU framework programme for research and innovation Horizon Europe. Compared to Horizon 2020, the basic structure of the individual work programs has changed to a breakdown into 'destinations', 'calls' and 'topics'.
Report calls for global action for better resilience to droughts
17 Jun 2021The Joint Research Centre (JRC) released a new report that calls for better coordination to manage the risk of severe droughts, as climate change brings increasing global temperatures and disrupts rainfall patterns.