C 264/2
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
27.7.2023
Introduction
Recent extreme events – forest fires, droughts, floods, and fatal heat waves – both across Europe and the world, have demonstrated that the consequences of climate change are hitting our societies harder and faster than science has projected.
The increase in extreme weather events and natural disasters has a growing impact on the physical and mental health of people, on the rest of nature and on economic assets.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth assessment report (1) stated that ‘global adaptation is predominantly slow, siloed and incremental’ and ‘even with emission reductions sufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goals, transformational adaptation will be necessary’ (2).
Regrettably, these events as well as the IPCC report have also pointed to the lack of preparedness and the disproportion between the climate threats and response mechanisms and structures in place.
While there is uncertainty in estimating future climate risk, what the end game looks like temperature-wise by 2100 - good, bad, or ugly - does not really change the options facing climate adaptation policymaking today.
To increase societal preparedness to the intensifying impacts of climate change, it is clear that the public sector must play an even greater role in bringing about the climate resilience and sustainable investments that are needed.
There is also a need to further develop and establish the right regulatory conditions and planning capabilities so that the different actors and markets can follow with confidence and certainty and channel investments into resilience.
The 2013 European adaptation strategy encouraged all EU Member States to adopt comprehensive adaptation strategies.
The Commission also published Guidelines on developing adaptation strategies to help EU Member States in preparing their adaptation strategies.
Between 2013 and 2018, the number of EU Member States with adaptation strategies sharply rose from 15 to 25, and by 2020 all EU Member States had prepared their strategies.
However, these vary greatly in scope, delivery, and method of implementation.
The 2018 Governance Regulation of the Energy Union and Climate Action addresses climate change adaptation in two ways.
First, they set current reporting obligations for EU Member States on adaptation to climate change.
Second, they state that each EU Member State must set out in its integrated national energy and climate plan, where relevant, other objectives and targets, including, among other dimensions, adaptation goals.
To respond to the evolving situation and to instill structural change, the new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change (2021) outlined an increased ambition and was broadened to cover new areas and priorities to contribute to the EU’s journey towards climate resilience, calling for a review of the 2013 Guidelines on developing adaptation strategies.
In addition, in July 2021, the European Climate Law entered into force.
Whereas previously, the Governance Regulation obligations around adaptation were rather procedural in nature, the Climate Law established a ‘duty’ to adapt.
Specifically, it established the requirement to ensure continuous progress in enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change in accordance with Article 7 of the Paris Agreement.
The Climate Law contains provisions for national adaptation strategies and plans (alongside the Union level) and articulates expectations for the quality of an adaptation policy and its outcomes.
It requires the Commission to regularly assess the consistency of relevant national measures with progress on adaptation, and to issue recommendations where it finds that an EU Member State’s measures are inconsistent with ensuring progress in enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing vulnerability to climate change.
In line with these provisions, the purpose of these guidelines are:
— To support EU Member States in revising their adaptation strategies and drafting/revising their adaptation plans in meeting the adaptation related challenges they face, taking into account the differences in their administrative structures and the adaptation planning pathways they have already taken.
(1) The Working Group II contribution Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.
(2) According to the IPCC (2023) AR6 Synthesis Report, Summary for policy makers, transformative change is supported by ‘adaptation and mitigation actions, that prioritise equity, social justice, climate justice, rights-based approaches, and inclusivity’.
These are also considered to ‘lead to more sustainable outcomes, reduce trade-offs... and advance climate resilient development’.