Commission presents a climate resilience framework for a better prepared and better protected Europe

The European Commission today presented an EU framework for climate resilience, designed to strengthen Europe's capacity to anticipate climate risks, prepare for them and manage them. This summer, prolonged droughts and heatwaves fuelled dangerous wildfires and led to record low water levels in some of Europe's largest rivers. Devastating floods have also struck in recent years. This has highlighted the serious consequences climate change can have for citizens, businesses and infrastructure. 75% of Europeans live in cities and urban areas and feel the impact of climate change directly. Strengthening climate resilience is therefore a strategic investment in Europe's competitiveness, security, health and prosperity. The economic case for action is compelling: estimated economic losses from climate-related damage in 2022-2025 amounted to around EUR 200 billion, or EUR 50 billion a year. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "Europe is warming at twice the global rate. To become truly climate resilient, we need to adapt and learn as we go. Today we are presenting a European approach to climate risks: to anticipate them, to prepare for them and to manage them. We are making sure that climate resilience is built into policies across the continent, supporting investment, innovation and long-term growth." The framework communication proposes a systemic shift: integrating climate resilience into all major policy areas, both internal and international. It supports local and regional authorities in adapting, through pilot projects and advisory services. The proposed Climate Resilience Act sets out a common reference trajectory for global warming. Current scientific evidence shows that, if the world continues as it is, it will warm by 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels by 2030, 2 degrees C by 2050 and 3 degrees C by 2100. This trajectory gives Member States a common baseline assumption for assessing future climate risks when taking decisions.