Adaptation Strategies for European Cities
European Commission DG Climate Action
Climate change is increasingly recognised as a major threat to the stability and prosperity of the European Union and it is at the level of cities that much of this challenge will need to be addressed.
Cities play a pivotal role in the European economy, they are centres of social and cultural exchange, and they are where the majority of Europeans live and work. They are therefore particularly vulnerable to and need to adapt to the impact of changes in the climate.
Launch event for the EU Adaptation Strategy - April 29th 2013
Event to include a high level panel discussion on the role of cities in adaptation across Europe, for more information please visit :
http://ec.europa.eu/clima/events/0069/index_en.htm
EU Cities Adapt Final Conference/ Open European Day at Resilient Cities
The outcomes and lessons learned in the course of the project will be shared on 3rd June 2013 at the final project conference during the Open European Day in the margins of the Resilient Cities conference 2013 in Bonn, Germany. The European Day is jointly hosted by ICLEI and EEA in collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA).
Do not miss this unique opportunity to share your experience on urban adaptation, learn from others and discuss solutions at this interactive one-day event. Participation is free of charge, so secure your place today click here.
DG CLIMA is responsible for ensuring that the climate dimension is appropriately presented in all Community policies and facilitating appropriate adaptation measures that will reduce the European Union's vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.
This project, which has been placed with a consortium led by AEA and ICLEI, also including the University of Manchester, Adelphi, Arcadis and Alexander Ballard Ltd, will not only kick-start DG CLIMA's engagement and support for European cities covering the spectrum from those who are advanced on their adaptation journey to those just beginning, but will also provide a continuing platform and toolkit, which can be deployed beyond the project’s lifetime.
The aim of this project is to provide capacity building and assistance for cities in developing and implementing an adaptation strategy by raising awareness throughout Europe on the importance of preparing for climate change in cities, exchanging knowledge and good practices, and developing tools and guidance for cities on adaptation. Stakeholder-dialogues will identify challenges and needs that cities share and support networking and cooperation. Twenty-one cities will be immediately involved with the project, as peers, trainees and adaptation pilots, setting an example for the majority of the other cities in EU-27. Others will be encouraged to engage in bilateral twinning-relationships to learn from each other. This project will also provide the Commission with a synthesis of current knowledge on impacts and vulnerabilities at city level, the state of play on adaptation across European cities and capacities to respond. This assessment will contribute to the urban dimension of the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change that the Commission is currently developing to be adopted in 2013. A web-based platform, situated on the Climate-Adapt website being developed by EEA and EC will provide a focal point for information exchange and access to the tools developed for the project.
The final task will provide the basis for the legacy of this leading edge project. The key finding s of the project will be collated and delivered at a final conference, directly linked to the planned 2013 Resilient Cities conference. This will also include delivering an interactive PDF toolkit on good practice for developing a city adaptation strategy for European cities, as well as a final project report to the Commission.
Delivery timeframe: January 2012 – June 2013
