The cost of adapting the energy system to climate change would be between €39 billion and €100 billion by 2050, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA) on Monday 12 January, based on scientific data from 2026.
In its analysis, the Agency also looks at the transport and agriculture sectors. To make these three sectors resilient to climate change, investments of between €53 billion and €137 billion a year would be needed between now and 2050, and between €59 billion and €173 billion a year more by 2100, depending on a moderate or high emissions scenario.
In addition, the EU has suffered annual economic losses of around €40-50 billion between 2021 and 2024 due to extreme weather events, totalling €822 billion over the period 1980-2024.
The Agency stresses that, despite the potentially high cost of investing in adaptation, increasing adaptive capacity “will bring greater benefits to the economy and society overall”.
The annual shortfall in funding for adaptation (the difference between funding needs and funds committed) represents a major risk. For the three sectors, the deficit is estimated at between €39 billion and €120 billion up to 2050, depending on the emissions scenario. “This deficit is expected to grow to between €44 billion and €157 billion until 2100, depending on the scenario,” adds the analysis.
To see the publication: https://aeur.eu/f/k8i (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)