On 15 April 2025, WMO and ECMWF launched the “European State of the Climate report”. One of the positive findings of the freshly published report is that cities make progress in climate adaptation. Although Europe is the fastest-warming continent, European cities have become more resilient. Continued efforts will further enhance their capacity to address climate challenges more effectively.
Based on the report, “around 70% of climate change mitigation and 90% of adaptation efforts take place in Europe’s urban areas, making them key leaders in tackling climate change. Damage to the built environment from extreme weather is projected to increase up to tenfold by the end of the century due to climate change alone. Aging structures and increasing demand add to the risks, with flooding identified as the climate risk most urgently needing action.”
In its intervention at the launch of the European State of the Climate report the GCH reflected on the fact that 51% of European cities have dedicated adaptation plans, and emphasized how important it would be to better inform and connect LRGs to promote further the development of such plans. The GCH applauds the work by WMO and aims at an institutional dialogue with it to explore this possibility, similarly to the cooperation with UNDRR on the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Extreme weather events present increasing risks to Europe’s built environment and infrastructure and the services they support, particularly regarding flood risks. Current adaptation measures in European cities are mostly physical and technological, followed by nature-based and governance solutions.
European institutions are developing policies designed to accelerate local action, such as the development of climate and energy plans. These are influenced by factors such as city size, with smaller municipalities having less technical and resource capacity, as well as national legislation on local planning and participation in city networks and initiatives.
The report presents replicable good examples of what cities across Europe are doing to become more resilient to extreme events and our changing climate. Peer-to-peer experience sharing as well as expert dialogue between LRGs and relevant international organizations, such as WMO, ECMWF, and UNEP would help others to learn from these best practices:
- Glasgow (United Kingdom) is implementing early warning systems, community-led flood resilience initiatives and builds flood-resilient infrastructure.
- Paris (France) is planting trees and revitalizing parks to mitigate heatwaves by boosting cooling and biodiversity.
- Bratislava (Slovakia) efficiently counters floods by creating water reservoirs, rainwater gardens and green roofs.
- Kyiv (Ukraine) reduces the health-harming effects of heatwaves using water mist frames in parks and squares for cooling.
- Milan (Italy) is implementing forestation measures, expanding climate shelters and promoting green infrastructure to mitigate heatwaves and reduce air pollution at the same time.