CLIMA - Our new EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change web portal is live!

This month, the platform of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change went live. It supports regional and local authorities in their efforts to build resilience against the impacts of climate change and achieve a climate-resilient Europe by 2050.

Providing updates on the exciting developments in the Mission, and on the regions and local authorities participating as Charter signatories, Friends of the Mission or through research projects, the Portal gives users access to knowledge, data and resources for each step of developing their climate change adaptation plans.

date: 24/04/2023

It’s the year 2050.

Living within nature’s limits is now considered common sense. No longer exploited for short-term profit as in the past, ecosystems are now seen as inherently valuable.

Around Europe, revitalised coasts act as natural buffers to storms and the rising seas. Great swathes of land have been brought back to health - tree-covered, they anchor the earth and abate flooding.

All across the continent, abandoned peatlands have been re-wetted to become carbon sinks once more, rich in wildlife. Natural resources are managed with the aim of maximising biodiversity and ecosystem health and resilience.

Our cities are calmer, greener, pleasant places to live.

A utopian vision or a future within our grasp?

This month the platform of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change went live to support regional and local authorities in their efforts to develop innovative solutions to build resilience against the impacts of climate change, manage climate risks and achieve the climate-resilient Europe of our dreams, as described above.

Providing information on the latest developments in the Mission, and on the regions and local authorities participating in the Mission as Charter signatories or through research projects, the platform gives users access to the knowledge, data and resources for each step of developing their climate change adaptation plans.

It includes an Adaptation Dashboard (europa.eu) which lets local authorities or any interested viewer find out about expected climate-related impacts and vulnerability in their area. For instance, if a user is interested in knowing the expected climate impacts for the Abruzzo Region (Italy) they would select it from the dropdown list and would be informed that the region lies in the Continental zone, where an increase in heat extremes and in energy demand for cooling is expected, and there may be an increasing risk of forest fires and river floods. In addition, summer precipitation may decrease, as may the economic value of forests. The dashboard also provides figures about the wider climate impacts in Italy and the vulnerability of the region.

The Mission Portal is hosted by the European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT), and was developed by the European Commission, the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Mission Implementation Platform (MIP4Adapt) team.

Who can use it?

Charter signatories will be able to receive technical assistance to:

progress and fund their climate adaptation planning processes;
identify and fund demonstration projects;
mobilise and engage citizens and stakeholders in climate adaptation.

Additionally, Friends of the Mission, research and innovation projects and national authorities will have access to the restricted area of the portal. There they will be able to share information and good practices on adaptation.

But the mission has something for everyone. Anyone interested in the Climate Adaptation Mission will be able to follow its progress and consult the publicly available resources. Go and take a look for yourself!