Europe must do more to adapt to climate change, says EU environment agency

(EurActiv, 11 Mar 2024) Europe needs to take immediate action to address the rapidly increasing climate challenges, the EU’s environment agency said in its first European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA), published on Monday (11 March), which identified 36 major risks.

The European Environment Agency’s European Climate Risk Assessment aims to identify climate-sensitive sectors and the political priorities for adapting to climate change. According to the assessment, adaptation policies and measures in Europe are not sufficiently reactive to the rapidly increasing environmental risks.

This report is in line with the recommendations of the Liège Declaration, signed two months earlier as part of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council. Seventy organisations, local authorities, and environmental NGOs called on the EU to speed up the implementation of policies to adapt to climate change.

“Our new analysis shows that Europe faces urgent climate risks that are growing faster than our societal preparedness.”, said the EEA Executive Director Leena Ylä-Mononen.

For intensified and immediate action

In recent years, Europe has experienced increasingly regular extreme climatic events, including floods, heatwaves, fires, and severe and prolonged droughts.

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EurActiv, 11 Mar 2024: Europe must do more to adapt to climate change, says EU environment agency