EC announces first climate change and adaptation signatories
The commission’s Mission Adaptation will support at least 150 regions and local authorities to accelerate climate action and build climate resilience by 2030.
The first 118 regions and local authorities that will participate in the EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change (Mission Adaptation) have been announced by the European Commission (EC).
The 118 signatories come from 18 member states, with six more parties coming from countries associated or potentially associated with Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme.
Implementing climate action
The commission launched an invitation to EU regions and local authorities to join the mission in March. The new signatories will benefit from the Mission Implementation Platform, which will be operational in early 2023. Together, they will develop pathways towards climate resilience while having access to climate data and methodologies for climate risk assessments and receiving tailor-made guidance on effective adaptation measures.
Mission Adaptation aims to support at least 150 regions and communities in accelerating their transformation towards climate resilience by 2030. It will help these regions and local authorities to better understand, prepare for and manage climate risks, as well as to develop innovative solutions to build resilience.
These regions and local authorities will sign the Mission Charter at the Committee of the Regions’ first Forum of the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change. A further 17 private companies, service centres, research networks and local action groups active in improving climate resilience will endorse the charter and become friends of the mission.
“While climate negotiations are global and much of our legislation is European, the changes we need on the ground are local: they happen city by city, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood, street-by-street”
The Mission Adaptation will receive €370m of Horizon Europe funding for the period 2021-23. The research and innovation actions will address rebuilding areas impacted by extreme weather events, restoring floodplains, vertical farming, prototype insurance approaches, or creating a “perfectly adapted” city ready to withstand a storm or heatwave.
There is also a possibility to build joint initiatives with other EU missions and programmes. The Mission Adaptation also provides networking opportunities, exchange of best practices between regions and local authorities, and support to engage citizens.
“While climate negotiations are global and much of our legislation is European, the changes we need on the ground are local: they happen city by city, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood, street-by-street,” said executive vice-president for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans. “Change will only happen if it happens bottom up. Whether it is greening public spaces, developing water retention systems, and insulating homes, cities and regions are already developing innovative ideas to adapt to climate change.
“The more than 100 regions and communities in the Mission Adaptation will be true trailblazers, showing millions of Europeans that a green, clean, and healthy future is possible for everyone.”
“Change will only happen if it happens bottom up. Whether it is greening public spaces, developing water retention systems, and insulating homes”
The commission and the Committee of the Regions encourage other applicants from all member states to become new signatories. This will allow for the broadest uptake of adaptation measures in Europe and lead the way towards a climate-resilient future.
Commissioner for research and innovation, Mariya Gabriel, said: “The mission will put regions and local authorities at the forefront of innovation in Europe’s transition to becoming a more resilient continent. By joining the mission, they gain access to the full potential of research and innovation and accelerate the transfer of the solutions developed to society.”
The Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change started in September 2021 with the adoption of a Communication on EU Missions, followed by the approval of the missions’ individual implementation plans. There are four other EU missions covering global challenges in the areas of climate-neutral and smart cities, restoring oceans and waters, healthy soils and cancer.
Leave A Comment