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EU countries need to “urgently coordinate” to anticipate and mitigate the effects of climate change, such as flooding, severe storms, and heatwaves, a report from the EU’s advisory board on climate change warned on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
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The scientific report from the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) urges the EU27 to strengthen its rule-making to ensure the bloc is prepared to address the impacts of climate change<\/a> by mitigating hazards and adapting to risks, exposing the European Commission’s failed 2021 climate adaptation strategy.<\/p>\n The warning comes as Spain and Portuga<\/a>l are reeling from the impact of three powerful storms that triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and storm surges, leaving multiple people dead and causing billions in damage.<\/p>\n Storm Marta<\/a> alone led to the deployment of more than 26,500 rescue workers in Portugal, with waves towering up to 13 meters and rivers bursting their banks. <\/p>\n Mass evacuations were carried out, and critical infrastructure suffered severe damage, especially in Andalusia, southern Spain. Emergency shelters housed thousands of displaced residents, supported by medical teams on the ground. <\/p>\n Portugal\u2019s economic losses are projected to surpass \u20ac3.3 billion, while farmers face devastating crop destruction, according to local media.<\/p>\n Floods in Valencia <\/a>in October 2024 and in Germany and Belgium<\/a> in July 2021, with devastating consequences for human life and infrastructure, have also roused more calls for climate adaptation.<\/p>\n The ESABCC’s Chair, Professor Ottmar Edenhofer, said extreme weather and climate-related events are already causing severe damage across Europe. <\/p>\n \u201cExtreme heat alone has resulted in tens of thousands of premature deaths in recent years, including an estimated 24,000 in summer 2025,” said Edenhofer. “Economic damages to infrastructure and physical assets now average around \u20ac45 billion per year.”<\/p>\n “These mounting impacts underline that strengthening adaptation is not optional, but essential to protect lives, livelihoods and Europe\u2019s economic foundations.”<\/p>\n Adaptation and mitigation, hand-in-hand<\/p>\n ESABCC warns that “adaptation and mitigation must advance together” to prepare for “unavoidable temperature increases” and safeguard Europe\u2019s strategic priorities, as projections indicate climate hazards will continue to intensify<\/a>.<\/p>\n “A fragmented approach to adaptation could undermine collective resilience, as insufficient measures in one country may trigger impacts and increased exposure in neighbouring areas,” reads the report.<\/p>\n Professor Laura Diaz Anadon, vice chair of the Advisory Board, backed a robust EU adaptation framework as the key to addressing systemic risks that can disrupt access to food, water and energy. <\/p>\n Adaptation goes beyond climate policy, Anadon added, noting that taking action today will help protect the health of EU citizens and ecosystems as well as the integrity of the bloc’s single market and competitiveness<\/a>.<\/p>\n Professor Jette Bredahl Jacobsen, vice-chair of the Advisory Board, said adaptation can’t prevent all losses, noting that mitigation efforts will remain essential to limit climate hazards to manageable levels. <\/p>\n \u201cRobust risk management means the EU should prepare for a range of possible futures to ensure a resilient Europe. Strengthening adaptation alongside mitigation is essential to safeguard citizens, security, and the EU\u2019s wider strategic goals,\u201d Jacobsen said.<\/p>\n Climate risk assessments, mobilising capital<\/p>\n