EU is ill-prepared to deal with climate change as it worsens, say experts

Independent advisers on Tuesday said that the European Union was 'not prepared for a worsening of climate change' and should increase its 'investments to protect infrastructure and people from increasing floods, wildfires, and severe heatwaves.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), climate change has caused Europe to become the fastest-warming continental in the world. This is causing more intense and frequent heatwaves and flooding as well as coastal destruction, storms and coastal erosion.

EU data shows that the economic damage caused to European buildings and infrastructure by extreme weather conditions is now $53,34 billion per year. This is five times more than it was in the 1980s.

According to the EU's advisors, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, despite the EU having ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gases – the primary cause of climate change – its efforts to adapt to the extreme weather that climate change has already exacerbated have been insufficient.

Ottmar Edenhofer, the chair of the advisory board, said, "It's a lack in coherence and coordination as well as a lack of budget."

The advisers warned that if the EU does not take stronger measures to prepare for extreme weather, it will harm its competitiveness by increasing budget pressures on the public and increasing security threats.

The EU was urged to agree that all members states should prepare for the risks associated with warming of 2.8 to 3.0degC by 2100.

The advisers suggested that this information could be used to help develop policies?to assist people and businesses in adapting. For example, they said, it would help ensure housing isn't built in areas that are prone to flooding, plan support for farmers who have been hit by drought, or design cities?to keep people cool during high temperatures.

The average temperature of the planet is now 1.4C higher than it was in pre-industrial times. According to the UN, even if countries' national climate pledges are met, they will still result in a global warming of 2.3 to 2.5degC this century.

EU advisors stated that another important area is to invest in early warning systems for the public and increase insurance coverage by, for instance, considering EU-level Reinsurance. Currently, only a quarter (25%) of the economic losses caused by climate change in 'the EU is insured.

The European Commission will present a new "climate resilience strategy" later this summer, in response to recent weather disasters, including the 2023 floods that caused 11% of Slovenia's GDP's reconstruction costs, and Europe’s worst ever wildfire season last year. ($1 = $0.8436 euros) Reporting by Kate Abnett, Editing by Susan Fenton

(source: Reuters)