Planned EEA report …/2012
European cities facing climate change – reducing vulnerability by multi-level governance
Background document for the EIONET meeting 30/06 – 01/07/2011
Why an urban focus on adapting to climate change in Europe? .............................. 1
Urban adaptation requires a combination of local and higher level measures ....... 2
Aim and target audience of this report .................................................................... 2
What to expect from the report? ............................................................................. 3
Outlook ..................................................................................................................... 4
Structure of the report.............................................................................................. 4
Timetable .................................................................................................................. 5
Why an urban focus on adapting to climate change in Europe?
Despite mitigation measures, climate change is a reality and will continue to have far-reaching
consequences for human and natural systems. The impacts, like sea level rise, higher temperatures,
changing precipitation patterns, and vulnerabilities differ considerably across regions, territories and
economic sectors in Europe.
Cities, although small in terms of area compared to rural Europe, are the main places in Europe
where people live – around three quarters of the population. Future population growth is expected
to happen in cities, towns and suburban areas rather than in rural areas. Cities are furthermore the
centres of the economy, and innovation and major economic values concentrate here. Because of
the growing size of their sensitive population and economic assets, cities are places in Europe highly
vulnerable to both current climate variability and climate change, and need specific attention. Due
to the socio-economic power of cities, urban resilience to climate change matters for Europe as a
whole.
Cities and towns are complex and highly artificially shaped ecosystems with a very distinct fabric and
structure related to the surrounding region and so is their sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Even if
exposed to the same climate changes, the vulnerability of cities can be very different. Cities’ fabric
can exacerbate the direct and indirect climate change impacts, for example, temperature increases
will be further increased by the urban heat island effect and increased precipitation will be
exacerbated by high rates of soil sealing. Cities are also dependent on energy, water, food and other
resources produced in a much wider area. These resources and their transportation to the urban
areas can be vulnerable to climate change as well. Moreover, the sensitivity in terms of affected
people and values as well as the capacity to adapt differ. Hence, European or regional climate
change impact assessments are not sufficient to describe the locally specific situation of cities and
towns. Their peculiarities and the high relevance of cities and towns require a specific urban
approach to adaptation in Europe.
Urban adaptation requires a combination of local and higher level measures
Tackling the climate change challenges only at the local level is usually not sufficient because of the
European dimension of urban development, and high interconnectivity between cities and the
regional, national and international hinterland they depend on. A city can adapt to heat waves by
changing locally its urban and building design, by enhancing health care services and taking other
local measures. However, problems of river flooding require preferably in addition to local solutions
also regional solutions to retain and manage water long before it reaches the cities. The greenhouse
gas reduction of a cities to mitigate climate change is a precondition for national and European
reductions, but the reduction of impacts through mitigation will only materialise for the city if the
whole world takes action, and even then only on the very long term because of delays in the climate
system. At the same time, synergies between adaptation and mitigation at the urban level can offer
interesting opportunities.
Local action of cities is important for the cities themselves and because of their role as the engines
of the European economy, equally for Europe. Therefore, their resilience to climate change needs to
be supported by regional, national, European and global policies.
Aim and target audience of this report
Although some European cities are global frontrunners in the area of climate change responses, for
various reasons the awareness of urban vulnerability to climate change and the steps taken to
reduce it vary enormously between cities and towns across Europe. This report aims to raise the
awareness for the European dimension of the urban challenges of adapting to climate change and
the potential to meet them. Acknowledging the diversity of cities, it provides a European- wide
overview of cities’ vulnerability to climate change showing different clusters of cities regarding
specific types of potential climate change impacts and the different capacities to adapt. It allows to
evaluate the specific situation of a city compared to other cities in the European context and to
explore a menu of adaptation options to be taken at different governmental levels – local, regional,
national, and European.
This report pragmatically takes key policy questions and the needs for action for specific climaterelated problems which are common for groups of cities as the starting point of the analysis rather
than providing a full-fledged scientific assessment of all potential climate change impacts and
associated adaptation options across all European urban areas. The assessment of urban
vulnerability is tailored to the information needs of different policy-makers to adapt cities across
Europe to climate change and to organise the required multi-level policy framework for effective
implementation. To achieve this, it synthesises existing data and research results around certain key
storylines – how could cities increasingly be confronted by heat waves and how can they minimize
the impacts on their citizens and economies?, or how can cities be challenged by periods with low
water availability as well as events of high rainfall intensity and rive runoff? Based on this
information, the report describes generic adaptation options and provides guidance smart (e.g.,
robust, flexible, cost-effective) urban adaptation while linking to other sources of information that
provide catalogues of good practice and more detailed information.
Several earlier reports have provided very useful inventories of possible climate change impacts on
cities and examples of options to adapt locally. This report makes an attempt to position cities in the
larger policy frameworks provided by regional, national and European institutions, and analyses the
supportiveness and barriers of these policy framework for implementing local urban adaptation
measures and reduce local urban vulnerability to climate change, providing the necessary insight for
policy-makers to broadly mainstream urban adaptation across all levels and sectors and make it
effective. Although the report provides information that can be useful for managers of towns, cities
or larger metropolitan areas, it focuses on the things that policy makers at regional, national and
European level can do to enable the city managers to increase the climate resilience of the areas
they are responsible for.
What to expect from the report?
Among the many approaches regarding cities and adaptation to climate change, this report chooses
to take a comprehensive European perspective on the urban challenges. Its analysis focuses on the
needs for a multi-level policy approach to enable effective urban adaptation. Consequently, it
cannot answer specific questions that urban policy-makers may have for detailed local adaptation
planning, due to the high number and diversity of local situations, but it:
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provides at the European level and national level the information to create the awareness
that urban vulnerability to climate change and adaptation is a European challenge and needs
support from all policy levels. Beyond requirements for funding and information exchange, it
identifies the needs and opportunities to mainstream urban adaptation into the different
European and national policies in order to detect adverse impacts, overcome barriers and
thus enable effective local adaptation European-wide. It highlights the potentials and
benefits of active participation of local governments in the development and
implementation of the 2013 EU adaptation strategy and national strategies.
helps city and regional governments to get started. It makes them aware of the future
challenges, of their particular situation and potential options for actions in a European
context and enables to compare, exchange and cooperate – with other cities, or with
institutions and networks at the national and European level. The report enables also to
interpret the available scientific knowledge in an urban policy context. Providing an
understandable methodological framework, the report helps to fill the gap between just
being aware of cities’ vulnerability and the actual development and implementation of
effective adaptation actions.
helps all governmental levels and stakeholders in the private sector and civil society to
sharpen the understanding of their own position and role in enabling urban adaptation to
climate change, considering the options to build a comprehensive policy framework - multilevel and integrated across sectors. The methodological framework and indicators provide a
basis for measuring progress and effectiveness of adaptation over time and towards targets,
but also to question differences between cities and regions in order to learn and tailor
adaptation to specific needs. The broad context and cross-sectoral multi-level perspective
encourages out-of-the-box-thinking, challenges creativity, and reveals the many crossbenefits of good adaptation. It provides guidance to develop action and set priorities at the
most appropriate policy-level within a comprehensive framework.
Outlook
Building on earlier EEA publications (SOER2010, etc.), this report provides a growing information
base and communication interface for urban adaptation to climate change as a challenge for all
policy levels. It paves the way towards more comprehensive multi-level governance and voices the
European dimension of the urban challenge of adapting to climate change. It is however, only one
building block within a wider framework given by the EU White paper on Adaptation to Climate
Change, the Adaptation Clearinghouse for Europe, national and local strategies and action plans and
city networking.
Structure of the report
Timetable
10 February
10 March
Definition of the supporting team and further experts
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Targets and product description refined in contact with the supporting
team
Identifying of the possible contributions of the different partners
Annotated outline of the report
First framework for indicator development (see recommendation 3 and
4 of scoping study)
Refined project plan
Proposals sent to the supporting team
13 April
expert meeting
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Confirming / refining targets, products, approach
Discussing selected content
Agreement on the contributions of the single partners
3-5 June
Session during the Resilient Cities Conference – discussion of the concept
and selected to better identify the needs, make the results even more
tailored, connect to other initiatives
31 July
First draft
Request for feedback by the support team over summer until 10 September
Mid October
Meeting with the support team
1 December
Draft report for EIONET consultation (10 January)
31 January
Final report
Spring 2012
Publication