Europe currently experiences warming at twice the global average rate. This warming leads to frequent and severe climate hazards across its diverse regions. These intensifying hazards include intense heatwaves and devastating wildfires. Rising sea levels threaten to erode Europe’s extensive and highly valuable coastal areas.
Since global temperatures have already reached 1.4 °C above pre-industrial levels, experts fear that the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C target is unreachable. The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change urgently recommends a more effective and coherent policy framework. This framework is needed for regional climate adaptation. This significant report emphasizes that the EU must reinforce its strategic approach. The EU needs to manage escalating environmental risks. These risks are increasingly systemic and climate-related climate-related.
The High Cost of Inaction
Furthermore, extreme weather events already cause substantial losses, with heat-related incidents leading to approximately 24,000 premature deaths during the summer of 2025. Economic damages to critical infrastructure and physical assets currently average EUR 45 billion annually, making adaptation an essential priority for future protection. Without sufficient progress, these mounting impacts will eventually destabilize Europe’s economic foundations and undermine the long-term security of its many citizens.
Currently, existing adaptation efforts remain largely insufficient to prevent avoidable impacts or to manage the rapidly escalating risks to regional public safety. Therefore, addressing these complex climate risks requires combined and coordinated action across multiple policy domains and various levels of regional governance.
Building a Resilient Future
Although local action is vital, many climate risks are transboundary, affecting cross-border supply chains and essential financial and ecological support systems. A robust EU adaptation framework is fundamental to protecting the health of citizens and ensuring the security of food, water, and energy. Moreover, a stable climate framework provides the necessary predictability for businesses to invest in a competitive, innovative, and truly sustainable European economy.
In addition to policy changes, the board calls for solidarity among Member States to effectively manage these shared and increasingly systemic risks. Ultimately, strengthening resilience is not merely an optional strategy but an absolute necessity to safeguard the future of the entire European continent.
Q&A: Understanding Europe’s Climate Challenge
How much faster is Europe warming compared to the rest of the world?
Europe is warming about twice as fast as the global average. This accelerated warming makes the continent particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
What are the primary climate hazards facing the region?
The most significant threats include intense heatwaves, severe droughts, wildfires, flooding, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion. These hazards are felt across all regions of Europe.
What is the economic impact of climate change in Europe?
Current estimates show that weather- and climate-related extremes cause an average of EUR 45 billion in damages every year, primarily affecting infrastructure and physical assets.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement goal still reachable?
While the goal remains, the report indicates that exceeding 1.5 °C is “increasingly likely” due to insufficient global progress on reducing emissions.
Why isn’t local action enough for climate adaptation? Many climate risks are transboundary.
For example, a drought in one country can disrupt cross-border supply chains or energy networks. An EU-wide framework is needed to coordinate these complex, systemic risks.
What happens if Europe fails to adapt?
Failure to adapt will lead to compounding impacts that could destabilize Europe’s social and economic foundations, increase security risks, and lead to higher rates of premature death.
What is the main recommendation of the European Scientific Advisory Board?
The Board calls for the EU to urgently strengthen its policy framework to ensure adaptation is coherent, effective, and capable of addressing systemic risks to food, water, and energy security.
