On Tuesday 12 May, the European Commission opened a public consultation on the roadmap for the new EU strategy for adaptation to climate change, which is expected to be presented at the end of the year. The Commission stressed that climate change will continue to create significant tensions in the European Union despite mitigation efforts.
The aim of this initiative, which is intended to replace the existing 2013 adaptation strategy, is to improve efforts to withstand climate risks, build resilience, integrate climate into risk management practices and enhance prevention and preparedness, so that the EU is “fully adapted to the unavoidable impacts of climate change” by 2050.
To achieve its goals, the strategy will cover not only intra-EU actions, but will also include an external dimension to support global adaptation efforts.
Among the potential actions that will be addressed in the strategy, the roadmap includes: the development of an observatory to help identify health and social risks linked to climate change at an early stage; more open access to climate risk data from private and public sources; greater focus on the development and deployment of adaptation solutions through Horizon Europe and other EU funds.
This first stage of the public consultation will end on 30 June.
To access the consultation and read the roadmap, go to: https://bit.ly/2Wtq8rw (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)