About 72%* of the total population in the European Union live in large urban area (source: European Invetment Bank). Whereas in some European countries the concentration rises up to 80%, notably in Italy, the Netherland and United Kingdom, and in other up to 50% (Luxembourg, Romania and Croatia), the European Union has long been carrying out climate mitigation projects in close contact with local administrations. The most recent report named "Urban Adaptation in Europe" by the European Environment Agency (EEA), published on the 29th April 2024, offers a meaningful snapshot on urban adaptation throughout Europe to tackle climate risks linked to the increasingly frequent extreme phenomena worldwide.
Showcasing the ongoing adaptation policies and actions implemented throughout Europe, the first EEA European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA), published in March 2024, identifies super populated areas as the most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.
« Cities are made up of people, for people and by people and with this recognition of the centrality of people, the Green Deal commitment to leave nobody behind becomes increasingly tangible within an urban context » (EE Urban Adaptation in Europe, Conclusions).
Climate adaptation requires the readiness to adapt quickly to emergency situations and the ability to implement actions that can contain extreme weather phenomena disastrous effects which occur with greater frequency. Heat waves, floods, unseasonal cold waves and monster storms are already affecting human communities at global scale putting a strain on resilience, meant as the ability to adjust to or recover readily from nature life changes.
The EEA report records an increase in awareness on the main environmental issues at various governmental levels with a corresponding increase in funding for climate adaptation actions, over the last decades. In view to achieve the ambitious goal fixed in the Europen Union Adaptation Strategy (2021) to convert Europe in the first comprehensive climate neutral continent by 2050, interregional coordination has recently intensified, involving both citizens and decision makers.
The priority is therefore investing in urban societal resilience through tangible actions that involve urban planning, building codes, economic incentives and insurance, early-warning systems and information campaigns. And to build up a new urban eco-consciousness, we often rely on the sustainable traditions of the past. Urban agriculture, liveable public spaces and cultural heritage are essential drivers of change which can offer novel opportunities of the nature-based economy. Those solutions, directly inspired by Nature, are the basis of 91% of local adaptation plans examined in the report.
The benefits of this new approach are countless encouraging natural cooling effects, water retention and reduction in pollution while improving human recreational spaces in contact with the natural world. Thus, the need to integrate nature-based solutions in various areas of interest to implement the creation of climate-adaptation infrastructures to meet the needs of citizens and other living beings.
The EEA report calls on public decision-makers to adopt more environmental performance indicators closely related to specific adaptation targets to be achieved in urban managment. It is estimated that only 2% are of this nature.
To implement local adaptation actions, European cities have a wide range of instruments many of which have already been successfully applied. Focusing on co-benefits deriving from adaptation measures is widely considered as a win-win approach. Improvements in health, wellbeing, biodiversity are some of the advantages of following this approach. To be effective, climate adaptation measures should include:
Economic tools and Finance;
Physical and Technological Measures;
Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and other approaches to preserve ecosystems;
Initiative to facilitate knowledge and behavioural change.
A systemic and holistic system is then seen as the best outcome to enable climate action. The EEA report considers some factors crucial, notably: good governance, political and citizen engagement, sharing of good practice and knowledge, peer-learning and sustainable funding.
« Our new analysis shows that Europe faces urgent climate risks that are growing faster than our societal preparedness. To ensure the resilience of our societies, European and national policymakers must act now to reduce climate risks both by rapid emission cuts and by strong adaptation policies and actions », Leena Ylä-Mononen, EEA Executive Director
The EUCRA Report by the European Environment Agency points out that in many cases the actions implemented at local level are not sufficient to address the critical aspects of climate change. As clearly stated, ecosystems must be the key to finding effective solutions with beneficial domino effcts on key assets like food, health, infrastructure and economy.
As a matter of fact, urban areas of high population density, need to rethink their development trends through urgent actions in pivotal factors. Renovating and redesigning the existing building asset, creating new green areas and infrastructures, remodelling energy consumption by empowering renewables, fostering intergenerational and intercultural exchanges, pushing sustainable mobility by strengthening intermodality, increasing digitalisation and community engagement are pillars to build up a resilient future in urbanized areas.
Nevertheless, the 2050 carbon-neutral targets can only be achieved with the support of an adequate legal framework, government apparatus and improved information as well as communication system able to engage all sections of the European Union population in a reasonable change towards a fully integrated system in harmony with Nature.
The EEA Urban Adaptation in Europe report stresses the importance of encouraging maximum collaboration among the various social and economic sectors. ***
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By Maurice Abbati
>> Journalist, Editor, Communication, Media and Public Relations Specialist.
>> Lecturer and Author in English language of Technical Articles and the Manual: "Communicating the Environment to Save the Planet, a Journey into Eco-Communication" by Springer International Publishing.
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