EU climate science advisory board calls for strengthened adaptation policy in new report

Global average temperatures have risen to around 1.4°C above pre-industrial levels. Europe is warming about twice as fast as the global average, with rising temperatures driving more frequent and severe climate hazards – including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, flooding, sea-level rise and coastal erosion.

The report highlights the need for combined and coordinated action across policy domains and governance levels. Local and national action remains essential to drive adaptation as many climate risks are transboundary, affecting cross-border supply chains, critical services, as well as financial and ecological systems.

The Advisory Board puts forward five recommendations to guide ongoing EU policy processes. They call on the EU to:

1. Mandate and harmonise climate risk assessments across EU policies and Member States, using common climate scenarios and methodological standards.
2. Adopt a common reference for adaptation planning, preparing for climate risks consistent with 2.8-3.3 °C of global warming by 2100, as Europe is currently around 1°C warmer than the global average. This should be complemented by the systematic use of more adverse scenarios for stress-testing.
3. Set a clear vision for a climate-resilient EU by 2050 and beyond, supported by sectoral strategies and measurable adaptation targets.
4. Embed fair and just climate resilience by design across EU policies, programmes and investments, underpinned by monitoring, evaluation and learning.
5. Mobilise public and private adaptation investment, and establish a more coherent approach to managing the growing costs of climate impacts through the EU budget, economic governance and risk-sharing mechanisms.

The report also warns that there are limits to what adaptation can achieve and cannot substitute for mitigation. Deep and sustained emission reductions, alongside the scaling-up of carbon removals, remain essential to stabilise, and eventually reduce, global temperatures and prevent the most severe and irreversible impacts. Europe must therefore act on both fronts at once: cutting emissions to limit future risks, while strengthening adaptation to minimise climate impacts.