EU unprepared for climate crisis, EEA risk report warns
On Tuesday, the European Commission published its plan for managing risks exacerbated by climate change, such as floods and wildfires.
The strategy aims to strengthen the bloc’s ability to adapt to the climate crisis and build resilience against the increased risk of climate-related problems such as “ droughts, floods, forest fires, diseases, crop failures or heatwaves”, a Commission press release said.
Rather than mitigating climate change, the plan “ is about the far-less talked about part of climate action, which is adaptation”, said EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. “ What we are talking about here is building climate-resilient societies and economies,” he said at a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday. Hoekstra pointed to recent disasters in the EU - wildfires in Greece, flooding in Slovenia and a storm in Scandinavia - to underline the urgency.
European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Maroš Šefčovič, said that “ we will be very much focusing on how to use our climate, diplomacy and outreach to all the countries in need of... help and assistance and technology-sharing... but also to the biggest polluters who could do more”.
Brussels calls on Member States to strengthen governance and coordination, better analyse the interconnections between different risks, adapt infrastructure planning and improve public and private financing. In general, it calls on them to develop proactive management of adaptation to the climate crisis.
The Commission’s plan came after the first ever climate risk assessment by the European Environment Agency (EEA), published on Monday, which said the EU is inadequately prepared. The report warned of “ catastrophic” consequences if Europe failed to take urgent action to adapt to risks posed by climate change.
The EEA assessment called on EU member states to work together at a regional and local level to tackle climate change risks with precautionary measures. According to the EEA report, “ Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world”.
The south is on fire
The dangers include fires, water shortages and their effects on agricultural production, while low-lying coastal regions face threats of flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion.
Areas in southern Europe are most at risk, the EEA report said. “ Some regions of Europe are hotspots for multiple climate risks. Southern Europe is particularly exposed to the risk of forest fires and the impacts of heat and water scarcity on agricultural production, outdoor work and human health,” it added.
The report, which identifies 36 climate risks in the EU, states that “ heat-related risks have already reached critical levels in southern Europe”, given the “ more frequent and more intense” high temperatures in this region. This includes countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece.
The high temperatures have already led to dangerous forest fires in Portugal. One of the most lethal events was the forest fire in Pedrógão Grande in central Portugal in June 2017, which caused 64 deaths and around 200 people to be displaced. The fires entered several cities, towns and villages and ended up destroying dozens of houses and industries.
