From deadly heat waves and devastating droughts, to decimated forests and coasts, eroded by rising sea levels, climate change is already taking its toll on Europe and the world. Based on the 2013 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, the objective of today's proposals is to move from understanding the problem to developing solutions, and from planning to implementation.

As highlighted by the Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermansm, «Lhe pandemic has been a stark reminder that insufficient preparation can have dire consequences. There is no vaccine against the climate crisis, but we can still combat it and prepare for its inevitable effects, which are already being felt both inside and outside the European Union. The new Climate Change Adaptation Strategy equips us to accelerate and intensify preparations. If we prepare today, tomorrow we can still build a future that is resilient to climate change.

All the  economic losses from extreme weather events more and more frequent are increasing. In the EU, these losses alone already represent an average of more than 12.000 million euros per year. Prudent estimates show that exposing the current EU economy to global warming 3 ° C above pre-industrial levels would result in annual losses of at least 170.000 billion.

The EU will work to build a society resistant to climate change improving knowledge of climate impacts and adaptation solutions; intensifying adaptation planning and climate risk assessments; accelerating adaptation measures; and helping to strengthen resilience to climate change on a global scale.

For the Commission, adaptation measures must be based on robust data and risk assessment tools that are available to everyone, from families buying, building and renovating homes, to companies in coastal regions or farmers considering what to harvest . To achieve this, the strategy proposes measures that push the frontiers of knowledge on adaptation, so that we can collect more and better data on climate-related risks and losses, making them available to all.

La European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT) it will be improved and expanded, and a specific health observatory will be added to improve the monitoring, analysis and prevention of the effects of climate change on health.

Climate change has repercussions at all levels of society and in all sectors of the economy, therefore adaptation measures must be systemic. The Commission will continue to mainstream climate resilience considerations in all relevant policy areas. It will support the development and implementation of adaptation strategies and plans with three cross-cutting priorities: integrating adaptation into macro-budgetary policy, nature-based solutions for adaptation and local adaptation measures.

Likewise, the EU will promote subnational, national and regional adaptation approaches, with a specific focus on Africa and Small Island Developing States. We will increase support for international resilience and preparedness to climate change by providing resources, prioritizing action and increasing effectiveness, reinforcing international financing And through global commitments and exchanges in terms of adaptation. It will also work with international partners to bridge the gap in international funding for the fight against climate change.

The European Commission announced this new, more ambitious Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in the Communication on the European Green Deal, following an evaluation of the Europe 2013 Strategy, carried out in 2018, and an open public consultation between May and August 2020. The proposed European Climate Law lays the foundations for greater ambition and policy coherence on adaptation. Integrates into EU law the global adaptation objective of Article 7 of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goal No. 13. The proposal commits the EU and the Member States to continue making progress to boost adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change. The new Adaptation Strategy will help make these advances a reality.