This step aims to provide information about the major climate change trends, key risks and vulnerabilities in Europe. It will also help identify opportunities arising from climate change, and provide information on how to assess adaptive capacity and cope with uncertainty. Adaptation cannot be planned solely on the basis of climate projections; information on risk and vulnerabilities is also needed to determine how the climate interacts with socio-economic issues. European-wide and national projects have created socio-economic and climate scenarios across a variety of sectors and developed projections for different climate and socio-economic variables. These projections, when combined, provide an indication of future climate change impacts, risks and vulnerabilities.