EURADAPT

Climate change is a global issue with significant implications for our environment, society, and economy. It has already led to rising sea levels, an increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena, such as floods, heat waves and droughts, and the loss of biodiversity. These events generate impacts not only on an environmental level, but also on a social, health and economic level. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught a lesson about how closely environmental, societal and human health are connected. The European Green Deal has traced a pathway to climate change neutrality and sustainable development, stimulated by immense investments in green technologies and innovation. It includes the first EU Climate Law with a legally binding target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and a new and revised EU Adaptation Strategy, which outlines a long-term vision for the EU to become a climate-resilient society, fully adapted to the unavoidable impacts of climate change by 2050. The overall objective of the project is to improve the implementation of local and regional policies as critical areas that require effective policy learning to increase the adaptive capacity of the involved regions to climate change impacts. The learning potential embedded in the interregional exchange of experience will result in the uptake of good practices related to land use and food systems, policies tackling water scarcity and developing innovative water distribution models, the protection of critical infrastructure and governance and engagement, i.e. mechanisms to engage citizens and a broad range of stakeholders in the co-creation and sharing of data, knowledge and solutions to become climate resilient. The project brings together more developed regions on climate adaptation to share their experience and accompany less developed ones that are more vulnerable to climate impacts and often have low adaptive capacity in finding solutions adapted to their own climatic situation and economy.