As climate change intensifies, Europe is seeking local ways to adapt. the European Commission has launched the ‘Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change‘ to support at least 150 regions and local authorities to become ready to face climate disruptions by 2030.
A number of European projects are helping cities and regions find the best ways to adjust to more frequent – and increasingly severe – heat waves, storms and floods. Cities like Athens are returning to ancient constructions like aqueducts to maintain and irrigate green spaces.
The ARSINOE project is helping to focus minds on the immediate challenge of scorching temperatures in cities like Athens.
ARSINOE is asking Athenians to report local tree cover via a common platform and using virtual reality to showcase the benefits of a greener city. The two technologies increase public awareness about climate adaptation and help researchers get a better understanding of residents’ preferred solutions.
Another initiative is the IMPETUS project seeking to combine Earth observation satellite information about climate change with on-the-ground data about affected communities.
IMPETUS covers test sites across Europe like the 600-kilometres-long Catalan coast in north-eastern Spain. The project brings together local residents, policymakers, businesses and partners from 32 organisations to help people define the kinds of climate scenarios they are facing, what kinds of adaptive measures they could take.
‘We are connecting diverse data and human activities in new ways to implement climate adaptation measures at a local level, which we can then scale up and modify for different regional contexts,’ said Hannah Arpke, the project coordinator and a specialist in science management and rural development at the Eurecat Technology Centre in Spain.
Find out more from the European Commission Horizon magazine