According to an EU authority, Europe is inadequately preparing for the effects of increasing global warming. European strategies and adaptation measures have not kept pace with rapidly worsening risks, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said on Monday in its first climate risk assessment report for Europe (EUCRA). Many measures took too much time.
“To ensure the resilience of our societies, European and national leaders must act now to reduce climate risks through both rapid emissions cuts and decisive adaptation strategies and actions,” said EEA Executive Director Leena Ylä-Mononen, according to the statement. According to the EEA, Europe is the fastest warming continent. Since the 1980s, warming on mainland Europe has been about twice as fast as the global average.
Heat is the greatest and most urgent climate risk to human health
In the report, researchers name 36 major climate risks – from the effects of drought and heat, floods, fires to financial consequences. Overall, the experts name five major areas in which climate developments pose existential threats: ecosystems, nutrition, health, infrastructure as well as economy and finance. The risks that heat and drought pose to crop cultivation not only affect the south, but also the countries of Central Europe. “In particular, prolonged and widespread droughts pose a significant threat to yields, food security and drinking water supplies,” the EEA said.
Heat is also the largest and most urgent climate risk to human health, the researchers write. People who work outdoors, older people and people who live in poorly insulated apartments or in urban areas with a strong heat island effect are particularly at risk. In southern Europe, heat and droughts also pose a significant risk to energy production and transmission. The European economic and financial system is also affected, writes the EEA. For example, climate extremes could lead to increases in insurance premiums, jeopardize assets and mortgages, and result in higher spending and borrowing costs for the government.
According to the evaluation, many of the identified climate risks in Europe have already reached a “critical level”. More than half (21 of 36) require more commitment and speed of action immediately – eight of the risks are even “particularly urgent”. Ecosystems that protect people from heat must be preserved. At the same time, people and structures must be protected from floods and forest fires.
“If decisive action is not taken now, most of the identified climate risks could reach critical or catastrophic levels by the end of this century,” the experts said in the report. And further: “Hundreds of thousands of people would die from heat waves, and the economic losses from coastal flooding alone could amount to more than a trillion euros per year.” Depending on their nature, each of these risks individually has the potential to cause significant environmental damage, economic damage, social distress and political turmoil. In combination, the effects are likely to be even more drastic.
But there is still hope: effective adaptation measures and increased social precautions could help limit or reduce these negative impacts in the future. According to the EEA assessment, to address climate risks in Europe, the EU and its member states must work together and also involve the regional and local levels. “Our new analysis shows that Europe is facing urgent climate risks that are evolving faster than our societal preparedness,” said expert Ylä-Mononen. “So this is the new normal. And it should be a wake-up call, the final wake-up call.”