The European Commission has presented the EU Framework for Climate Resilience to strengthen Europe’s ability to anticipate, prepare for, and manage climate risks.
The EU Framework for Climate Resilience combines a proposed European Climate Resilience Law with practical tools and supporting measures to help public authorities, businesses, and other stakeholders make better-informed decisions.
The framework will also improve access to harmonized climate information and practical adaptation solutions through the introduction of three new digital tools – the European Climate Viewer, the Navigator of Climate Resilience Tools, and the Missions Solutions Explorer, according to the European Commission.
More than 35,000 people died from heat-related deaths from 2022-2025
It noted that preliminary data has shown that more than 35,000 people died from heat-related deaths while estimated economic losses from climate damages from 2022-2025 stood at approximately EUR 200 billion, or EUR 50 billion per year.
The estimated return on investments in climate adaptation can reach more than 10 times their value in avoided loss and damage, the EU’s executive arm stressed.
Member states will be able to meet their planning obligations under the proposed Climate Resilience Law, the European Climate Law and the Governance Regulation through a new single strategic plan.
The current scientific evidence shows that the world is on a path to warm by 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2030
The proposed law provides a common reference trajectory for global warming. The current scientific evidence shows that the world is on a path to warm by 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2030, 2 °C by 2050, and 3 °C by 2100.
This trajectory can help states to assess future climate risks, according to the commission.
“Europe is warming at double the global rate. To become truly climate resilient, we need to adjust and learn along the way. Today, we are presenting a European approach to climate risks – to anticipate, to prepare for and to manage,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Three new digital tools
Three new digital tools – the European Climate Viewer, the Navigator of Climate Resilience Tools, and the Missions Solutions Explorer will help authorities identify the hazards they face, assess vulnerabilities, and determine where action is most urgently needed, the commission pointed out.
The European Climate Viewer, developed by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), is an interactive map of projected climate hazards that will help users to understand what the shared warming trajectory means for different parts of Europe for different time periods, locations, and sectors.
The viewer draws on the latest information from the Copernicus Climate Change Service
The viewer draws on the latest information from the Copernicus Climate Change Service and will evolve as additional data and functionalities become available.
The Navigator of Climate Resilience Tools, developed by the European Environment Agency (EEA), is a quality-assessed, central repository of climate resilience tools, helping public authorities to navigate the available solutions and choose those most relevant to their territories, sectoral needs, and climate vulnerabilities, the update reads.
The Mission Solutions Explorer is a platform showcasing practical adaptation solutions
The Mission Solutions Explorer is a platform showcasing practical adaptation solutions tried and tested by regions, cities, and communities across the continent that participated in projects under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.
Users can filter solutions by hazard, sector or location, and learn about the co-benefits, stakeholders involved, financing opportunities available, and the potential to replicate and upscale, the commission added.
The commission will immediately begin implementing the framework. It will also present a union strategic plan on climate resilience in 2028 and every five years to ensure early and decisive action at the EU level.
