Debate: Consequences of drought, fire, and other extreme weather phenomena: increasing EU's efforts to fight climate change
Date: TUESDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2022
Speaker: Virginijus Sinkevičius
Language: EN

The most recent assessment of climate science by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published in 2021 and 2022, confirms that most of the changes now observed in the climate system are related to the increase of greenhouse-gas emissions over the past decades related to human activities. The scientists are warning that the intensity and frequency of extreme-climate events is set to increase as the climate warms. Many people rightfully ask: are we equipped to deal with situations of such a gravity? This strategic framework is there. The climate law commits the EU and its Member States to a duty to adapt with regular reporting, assessment of collective progress and consistency of efforts, with the objective of climate resilience. In 2021, in the EU Adopt Adaptation Strategy, we have identified areas where progress at EU level on climate resilience is necessary if we are to get ahead of impacts before they do damage. No doubt the gravity of the climate crisis demands transformational change across all sectors, systems and parts of the society. We have taken a whole-of-government approach looking at macroeconomics, competition or health angles to properly address this broad challenge. In principle, when we prepare European legislation, we are under the obligation to assess whether this impacts negatively on our adaptive capacity or increases our vulnerability to climate change. All EU funded infrastructure should be climate proof. Project promoters and responsible authorities should make sure that the future climate scenarios are used, vulnerabilities identified, and potential material impacts avoided or minimised. Understanding fully what the future risks are, is essential. That is why our in-house science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre, has made it a priority to provide new science evidence and tools for anticipating and managing the crises of the future. We launched the work with the European Environment Agency towards an EU-wide forward-looking risk assessment that should allow us, based on the best science, to identify key risks, key hotspots in Europe and table inconvenient yet pressing issues about the fate of certain sectors, relevance of certain policy objectives and necessary interventions. Furthermore, we will launch a dialogue with the insurance, financial sector, real estate or cities, to identify and examine the main reasons behind the widening climate-protection gap and ways to address them. There are significant European funds already available for financing adaptation to climate change from the common agricultural policy through cohesion policy, recovery funds to LIFE or Horizon Europe. It is teamwork. We all must work together – European, national, regional and local authorities, researchers, businesses, representatives of civil society and citizens. The EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change, launched in September 2021, is putting the EU adaptation strategy in practice on the ground by helping Europe’s regions become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. A call for testing and demonstrating transformative solutions of climate resilience worth EUR 88 million is out and will be closed by the end of September. Adaptation to climate change requires local action to better understand the existing and future climate risks; to develop climate-adaptation pathways to be better prepared and cope with the changing climate; to test and deploy on the ground the needed solutions to build resilience. This is what the mission should offer to 150 regions in the coming years, up to 2030. The other Horizon missions on climate-neutral cities, soils and oceans will also include activities in support of building climate resilience across Europe. Lack of capacity is an essential element of vulnerability. We need to work with Member States, regions and local authorities to build up their capacity, understanding, anticipation and the governance for climate adaptation that is commensurate with amplifying faster climate impacts. Sustainable and climate-resilient management of our water resources will make the EU more resilient to droughts and increasing water stress. Droughts can be managed on an ad hoc basis or by preparing and following strategies or plans. The European Commission recommends establishing specific drought-management plans where relevant, complementing river- basin-management plans required by the Water Framework Directive. With integrated water management, water reuse can play a significant role in addressing droughts and water scarcity. The regulation on water reuse for agricultural irrigation offers a legal framework for this alternative water-supply option, and the Commission will further explore possible water-reuse uptake beyond agricultural irrigation. And let me stress in particular also the crucial role of healthy soils in the water cycle, which makes them an indispensable ally for climate adaptation. The restoration of the sponge-like function of soils can boost the supply of clean fresh water and reduce the risk of flooding and drought. This is why we proposed a nature restoration law in June this year, and we are developing, following up on a strong request from the European Parliament, a new soil health law to be proposed in spring next year. A wide number of soil-protection measures are available that help retain water and reduce water needs, and avoid and increase resilience of droughts. Therefore, applying specific sustainable-management practices that retain moisture, planting bushes and trees that generate shade and cultivating plants and crops, species and variants adapted to dry climatic conditions can reverse the trend towards desertification and restore soils that are already affected. In 2023, we will also present a proposal for a forest-monitoring law to provide Member States with satellite imaging and other state-of-the-art information services, helping them to minimise and optimise forest-management practices. Copernicus, the EU Satellite Earth Observation Programme, represents a key asset in this regard, and this will keep forests resilient, enabling them to perform multiple ecosystem services while meeting market demands. In addition, prevention is crucial to reduce the risks and the impacts of forest fires. This summer, we have witnessed an alarming acceleration and spread of wildfires across Europe. And although the season is not over yet, it already broke all the records. The number of large fires and the hectares of land that were burned amount to approximately 800 000. This is about three times the size of Luxembourg or one quarter of Belgium. European solidarity remains unbroken, thanks also to the strategic decision-making of previous years to pool capacities at European level and share them across the board. However, we must do more at European level; we need to find ways to ease the national burden more quickly. Solidarity across Europe, when everyone is affected at the same time, cannot be taken for granted. Since June, 23 deployments of firefighting planes and eight of helicopters have taken place in response to ten requests for assistance under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. To be better prepared for next year, the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, and the Czech Presidency called for an informal ministerial meeting on Monday 5 September. The Commission tabled a proposal to urgently expand the existing rescue transitional aerial fleet, which is every summer fully operational to support Member States when faced with simultaneous large forest fires, and accelerate the procurement of the permanent rescue fleet of aerial firefighting capacities. The Commission and Member States have invested much time and energy in negotiations for the production launch of new Canadair planes, which, however, will become available only between 2026 and 2030. To bridge the gap until the EU rescue fleet is available, faster procurement of firefighting helicopters for the next fire seasons and doubling the rescue transmission fleet with light amphibious aircraft and helicopters was discussed with Member States. Now it’s important that we mobilise the necessary budgetary resources so that the EU can help to better protect the lives of our citizens, their properties and livelihood.