Unlocking Urban Resilience: A Recap of EURESFO23

This year’s edition of the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO23) was held in the City of Cascais. The Forum brought together more than 350 city and regional representatives, researchers, community organizations, European Commission members, and United Nations affiliates from 44 countries, all united by a common purpose: bolstering climate action and resilience in urban areas.

Cascais has been at the forefront of climate action in recent years. Notably, it was the first Portuguese municipality to embrace a roadmap for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 (European City Facility, n.d.). Cascais has prioritized preserving its natural assets through various climate action efforts, initiating the Cascais Strategic Plan for Climate Change (PECAC) in 2010, which identified impacts on water resources, biodiversity, and other areas. The municipality continues its focus on climate adaptation by presenting the Action Plan for Climate Change Adaptation – Cascais 2030 in 2017, showcasing a strategic vision for innovation and resilience.

As a co-organiser of this years’ edition of EURESFO, REGILIENCE was involved in various activities.

“What is resilience in practice: the past and the future”

The parallel session organized by REGILIENCE took place on the first day of EURESFO and was part of the “Challenging Knowledge and Innovation: Accelerating a Resilient and Just Transformation” stream. It was moderated by Jen Heemann (IEECP) and Matthias Watzak-Helmer (FEDARENE) and brought together more than 70 participants who exchanged knowledge and experience with the session’s hosts – nine cities and regions, including North-West Croatia, Autonomous Region of Madeira, Central Macedonia, Jadranska Hrvatska (Istrian County Area), Valencia, Tbilisi, Coimbra, Thessaloniki, and Setubal. Additionally, representatives from our sister projects, CLIMAAX and RESIST, also actively participated in this session. 

Participants engaged in a dynamic World Café-style setup, rotating through different topics chosen by the hosts (cities and regions) to leverage diverse perspectives. At the session’s conclusion, each World Café group shared key insights from their thematic discussions:

  • Climate Shelters: Effective coordination among various stakeholders is essential. Building a network of interconnected climate shelters within cities is a key concept, emphasizing the importance of considering the needs of the users.
  • Public Irrigation Systems: Drought was a prominent issue discussed, with a focus on solutions such as capturing stormwater in urban areas and ensuring water quality.
  • Land Use and Forest Management: Participants stressed the importance of coherent plans and data for risk management. Discussions also revolved around the cost of stakeholder engagement and the need to find appropriate incentives.
  • Role of Databases in Decision-Making: Databases design should be user focused so the right data to support decision making can be gathered.
  • Green Spaces Management: Recognizing both the merits & challenges of green spaces. Common issues across regions despite differences in climate. Balancing decisions among people and policy makers. Think locally for equitable solutions.
  • Governance & Engagement Tools: The main takeaway from this discussion was the recognition that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Adapting to climate change and shifting populations is an ongoing, complex process that requires a holistic approach. The primary challenge lies in aligning policy with the needs of the community.
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Participants discussed systematic approaches for cities and regions and the challenges of creating a comprehensive monitoring system aligned with the SDGs. They explored how to measure impact and implement systematic approaches effectively.
  • Increasing Health Resilience: Participants delved into the complex interactions between Urban Heat Islands (UHI) and Urban Air Pollution (UAP). Key takeaways included the need for various indices related to UHI and the potential benefits of a metadata monitoring system combined with air pollution data. This approach could foster collaboration with research and scientific institutions, even if challenges differ, solutions might share common ground.
  • Implementing Resilience using proven tools and techniques: The discussion revolved around the challenges of implementing plans related to mobility, climate, energy, and spatial organization. These plans must be harmonized, integrated, and connected to available funds and resources. Experience is crucial in modeling risks using complex GIS and simple models to adapt solutions and avoid maladaptation.

Image credits: EURESFO 2023

The Marketplace

Throughout the three days of EURESFO23, REGILIENCE hosted its own booth. It provided a space for anyone interested in the project, climate mission tools, and solutions to engage in discussions with the REGILIENCE team. It also provided a place for networking, knowledge exchange, and the opportunity to connect with the exceptional attendees who graced the event.

The EURESFO23 Journey Has Started: Reflections on Day 1

The first day of EURESFO23 ended with a session focused on the key takeaways from the various thematic streams. The session featured six speakers, including REGILIENCE’s Project Coordinators Guido Schmidt, Senior Expert at Fresh Thoughts Consulting GmbH, and Jen Heemann, Expert in local action for energy and climate at IEECP. While Guido emphasized the significance of tools and solutions in facilitating climate adaptation and the need to improve mainstreaming across entire administrations, Jen explored the vital role of stakeholder engagement in climate action, especially if we aim for a just transformative pathway.

EURESFO23 in Cascais was a testament to the collective commitment to urban resilience and climate action. With discussions encompassing diverse aspects of climate adaptation, it served as a forum to share knowledge, innovative solutions, and, most importantly, the shared vision of creating climate-resilient cities and regions.

You can access the EURESFO 2023 official photo album here.

The new Climate Innovation Window: Ensuring access to climate solutions by creating a sustainable platform

BRIGAID Connect, unlocking Climate Solutions.

BRIGAID Connect is a non-profit collective of experts in climate, economics, finance, business, and design.

We create communities that link innovators in our network with institutions, companies, and activists to build actionable solutions that drive positive environmental, economic, social, and cultural impact.

To achieve this goal, BRIGAID Connect has created the Climate Innovation Window (CIW) platform  within the European BRIGAID (2016-2020) project, a vital tool that will enable BRIGAID Connect to maximise its impact on the climate ecosystem and ensure that the communities it develops become strong, capable and influential.

Within the ARSINOE project, BRIGAID Connect is currently working on developing a revised version of the Climate Platform. The aim is to transform the current qualified directory of climate solutions into a specialized platform where innovators, end-users, and investors in the climate adaptation sector can connect and meet each other’s needs.

A new stage: the main objectives of the Climate Innovation Window:

  • Create innovation ecosystems specialized in climate resilience. In this way, stakeholders from different sectors will have access to qualified information to reduce the risks they currently face.
  • Connect these innovation ecosystems with those in need of solutions for problems derived from climate change.
  • Support innovators to develop, implement, and commercialise effective, financially viable, and environmentally sustainable solutions, both at a local and European level.
  • Transform the platform into a solid business model, making it sustainable, scalable and profitable while:
    • Making the platform a relevant tool for climate resilience in Europe by giving access to solutions for the management of climate risks.
    • Being an ally of climate solution creators who need innovative support, tailored to their specific problems, to commercialise their solutions.
    • In the future, the platform should become a tool to identify problems and connect solutions for adaptation to climate change. It should also provide measures and innovation packages.

What are the steps that the new version of the CIW has taken in ARSINOE?

  • Improving the user interface: rebranding and redesigning the platform to strengthen the brand, bring it closer to users, and improve its usability. The interface has also been updated to make information more accessible and to make it much easier to consult the climate innovative solutions, both on desktop and mobile versions, using the search bar.
  • Taxonomy and Filtering: Redefining and updating the classifications of Areas, Solutions, and Topics. This will make it easier to access all types of solutions and broaden the search options.
  • Implementing and developing new functionalities: To enable technological scalability of the platform and possible future enhancements.
  • Compliance with legal regulations: To ensure the protection of innovators’ data published on the site, GDPR adaptation, and revision of IP terms and conditions.
  • Support tools for innovators: Creation of landing pages and an explanatory video for the promotion of the platform. In addition, the new version of the platform has transformed the innovation submission form into a support tool. This allows innovators to know how to enter information to make it more relevant and specific to their potential.
  • Platform sustainability: Ensure the future of the platform and the achievement of BRIGAID Connect‘s goals by designing a sustainable business model.

The whole team behind the new Climate Innovation Window version:

  • BRIGAID Connect: The multidisciplinary team of the entity led the project, conceived, designed, and developed the platform, and also took care of its taxonomy. In particular, Icatalist was the expert in knowledge restructuring. Off Course designed the project to ensure that the platform was functional, user-friendly, scalable and market driven.
  • Enrich Global and G.A.C.: These two entities, partners of BRIGAID Connect in the ARSINOE project consortium, aim to facilitate the transfer and exploitation of knowledge for start-ups and SMEs. Hand in hand, BRIGAID Connect has been working on market and user research to develop a sustainable business model capable of supporting itself in achieving its objectives.
  • REGILIENCE: The REGILIENCE project team reviewed more than 120 platforms and selected the CIW to help it become an essential tool for addressing the challenges of climate change. Through its strategic, communication and technology framework, it has worked with all stakeholders in the new version of the platform to help them achieve their outcomes.

Some further remarks: The platform history:

Information on the EU projects related to the development of the platform.

  • BRIGAID (Bridging the gap for innovations in disaster resilience): A 4-year project (2016-2020) under EU Horizon2020 aimed to effectively bridge the gap between innovators and end-users in resilience to floods, droughts, and extreme weather.
  • ARSINOE (Climate-resilient regions through systemic solutions and innovations):
    An EU-funded project aimed at creating climate resilient-regions through systemic solutions and innovations.
  • REGILIENCE (Regional Pathways to Climate Resilience): A EU-funded project that aims at sharing the most promising cross-sectoral adaptation solutions, supporting cities and regions across Europe to become more resilient to climate change.

You can download the full Platform’s Story here.

Hands-on training for regional actions on Climate Risks!

Practitioners learned how to step up in their Climate Risk Management actions during the 6-day Autumn Training Course in Lisbon organised by the University of Lisbon and REGILIENCE.

A group of international experts provided insights into the most recent developments and tools available to address regional challenges. The participants benefited from keynote lectures and hands-on experiences with multiple tools that can be deployed at the regional and local levels, raising awareness of some of the key challenges and benefits of their practical application. The course was designed to follow the specific aspects of the Climate Risk Management policy cycle illustrated in the Adaptation Support tool of Climate-ADAPT. The course content supported the early stages of (1) preparing the ground for action and (2) identifying climate risks and response options, as well as the further advanced steps like (3) evaluating, implementing, and monitoring options, and (4) communicating, engaging, and reporting to different audiences. The international team of lecturers presented the key policy and science contexts, such as the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change, as well as their experiences with some of the most relevant tools and frameworks in this field. The different days focused on:

  • online platforms for climate action;
  • TCFD and ISO 14091;
  • assessing maladaptation;
  • impact chain analysis and the IPCC risk framework;
  • assessing funding needs;
  • monitoring, evaluating, and reporting climate risk management activities.

Additionally, participants had the opportunity to participate in a field trip to Cascais to experience and discuss real-life practical examples of climate risk management and adaptation actions. Cascais Municipality and Cascais Ambiente showcased and explained some of the green/nature-based solutions they recently implemented. During the discussion around the major benefits, challenges, and limits of these types of solutions, the course participants gained valuable insights and exchanged different local approaches within European regions. Presentations of case studies and their discussions provided the participants with an applied perspective on Climate Risk Management activities across Europe. 

 

“The course offered me excellent insights into tools and frameworks to step up with focused actions to proceed with my local climate risk challenges.”
chrisanti
Chrysanthi Kiskini
Head of European Union Projects Department, Regional Development Fund of Central Macedonia (RDF CM).

The course also provided room for creating a truly interactive community of practice in this area, with participants presenting their own work to other colleagues in an extremely good-humored and friendly atmosphere. The first edition of the Autumn Training Course: Climate Risk Management – Strategies and Tools for Regional and Local Challenges took place in Lisbon, Portugal, between the 11th and 17th of October 2023. More information on the course is available in the online booklet and on the REGILIENCE website. This edition was jointly organized by the Faculty of Science of the University of Lisbon and the REGILIENCE project. 

If you are interested in the full programme click here.

The course received funding from the NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility and support from the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

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Leave your contact below if you would like to be contacted for the coming Autumn Training Course:

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Exploring Climate Resilience with REGILIENCE at EURESFO 2023 – Extending an Invitation to All

The REGILIENCE project is one of the co-organisers of this year’s 10th anniversary edition of the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO), at the Nova School of Business and Economics in Cascais, Portugal, from the 18th to the 20th of October, 2023.  

During EURESFO 2023, REGILIENCE offers engaging activities such as a workshop with regional authorities, an interactive session on maladaptation tool, a video show, and more. We extend a warm invitation to everyone, inviting you to join these activities and meet the REGILIENCE team. It’s an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in discussions surrounding climate resilience, climate change, and more. Where can you find us: 

  1. What is Resilience in Practice: The Past and the Future? 

Date: October 18th Time: 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM 

The impacts of climate change are becoming more frequent and intense, resulting in economic losses, environmental degradation, and affecting the well-being of people across Europe. As the Mission on Adaptation strives to bolster EU regions and local communities against the effects of climate change, understanding the evolution and future of resilience is of paramount importance. 

In this session organised by REGILIENCE in collaboration with other EU-funded projects supporting regions in crafting climate resilience pathways, we’ll explore two key questions: 

  • How did European regions approach resilience from the past to the present? 
  • What does the future of resilience in regions hold? 

This dynamic session will facilitate knowledge exchange on past and future resilience with regions and institutions working in this domain. Through a World Café setup, participants can select topics for discussion in smaller groups. Later, participants can rotate between topics and groups. 

The session’s key conclusions will be showcased at the REGILIENCE stand in the marketplace and shared across REGILIENCE’s social media channels. This session is part of the “Challenging Knowledge and Innovation: Accelerating a Resilient and Just Transformation” stream. 

Moderators: 

  • Matthias Watzak, Project Manager, FEDARENE 
  • Jen Heemann, Expert in local action for energy and climate, IEECP 

Speakers: 


  1. The EURESFO23 Journey Has Started: Reflections on Day 1

Date: October 18th Time: 5:15 PM – 6:00 PM 

Join us for the closing reflection session on the first day of EURESFO 2023. Guido Schmidt, Senior Expert, Fresh Thoughts Consulting GmbH, and Technical Coordinator of REGILIENCE, and Jen Heemann, Expert in local action for energy and climate, IEECP, and Project Coordinator of REGILIENCE, will be among the main speakers. 

This plenary session aims to reflect on the topics discussed during the first day of EURESFO23, highlighting recurring key messages from various thematic streams. It provides an opportunity for all attendees to engage in a general reflection on the outcomes of the first day, ensuring that crucial messages are highlighted for the Financing and Investment Forum on the following day. Any open questions from the day will be clearly articulated for moderators in subsequent sessions to address. 

  1. Join Us at the 2023 edition of the EURESFO Marketplace

Visit the REGILIENCE stand at the marketplace during EURESFO 2023. Here, you’ll discover more about the Climate Adaptation Mission project tools developed by REGILIENCE, TransformAr, IMPETUS, and ARSINOE. One notable tool is the maladaptation checklist, enabling users to self-assess the potential maladaptation risk in their planned adaptation actions based on selected risk factors. It helps identify areas where further action is needed to avoid maladaptation. 

If you wish to explore a specific project using the maladaptation tool with one of our team members, please reserve a spot by emailing: info@regilience.eu. Alternatively, you’re welcome to drop by spontaneously. 

The marketplace sessions will be held on: 

  • Day 1: October 18th – 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM 
  • Day 2: October 19th – 1:00 PM to 2:15 PM 
  • Day 3: October 20th – 10:15 AM to 11:00 AM 

We look forward to your participation in these exciting initiatives during EURESFO 2023. Together, let’s advance the discourse on climate resilience, climate change, and create a more sustainable future.  

For further information explore EURESFO23’s full programme here! 

Another record-breaking year! The challenge of coping with unprecedented extremes

 

The year 2023 has, in several ways, been (another!) “one for the books”. According to data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the boreal wildfire season, which typically starts in May and extends into October, broke several records due to the dry conditions. In Europe, between July and August, devastating wildfires particularly affected north and central Greece. The Iberian Peninsula and Tenerife experienced one of the largest wildfires ever recorded. Meanwhile, in Scandinavia and particularly in Norway, critical infrastructure was damaged, and thousands were evacuated in August due to the extreme floods, landslides, strong winds, and lightning following the batter of Storm “Hans”. Then in September, extreme flooding in Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria due to Storm “Daniel” turned villages into lakes, leaving lives lost and widespread destruction in its wake. In the Greek city of Volos, where torrential rains were among the most intense, 600-800 mm of daily rain was recorded by the meteorological service, corresponding to more than one year’s worth of rain! This is so far considered the worst storm ever recorded in Greece! Even so, perhaps the most catastrophic consequences of “Daniel” happened a few days later in Libya, where dam failures caused by the extreme rains led to the flooding of the city of Derna, causing thousands of deaths. These events and a few more not mentioned here follow a recent trend that saw the fatal, unprecedented floods in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands one year, followed by some of Europe’s largest rivers – the Rhine and the Po – running dry the very next.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that climate change is likely to be at least partially responsible for the increasingly frequent and severe weather and climate extremes observed recently – with devastating consequences for both communities and the environment, such as the aforementioned disasters. To build sustainable and resilient societies in a changing climate, it will therefore become even more important than ever to anticipate such events. However, as we are propelled into uncharted territory, we are no longer able to rely on knowledge from the past to prepare for the floods and wildfires of the future. Rather, this will require “thought experiments” where we contemplate worst-case scenarios and assess their plausibility. This includes “compound” events, whose consequences are aggravated by combinations of different human, technical, and environmental factors. For example, when a rain-induced river or flash flood is intensified by already heightened water or soil moisture levels (that is, a “preconditioned” event), or when flood impacts result from a succession of natural and/or technical events as was the case of the dam failure in Libya (that is, a “cascading” event). Needless to say, anticipating such events can only be done through a deeply interdisciplinary and holistic approach that considers both drivers, hazards, impacts, multipliers, and potential responses.

In ARSINOE, we build a suite of tools and innovative solutions to help us prepare for a sustainable transformation that, in some places, will be crucially framed by increased risks of new record-breaking extremes, e.g., floods, droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires, or other climate-induced hazards that may have unprecedented consequences for humans and ecosystems. This includes high-impact events representing plausible but not yet observed hazards and comprises dedicated climate services and land surface response tools to support and advise water and land management, agricultural practices including the development of new crop types, urban development, marine operations, economic assessments, governance, and the preservation of vulnerable ecosystems. These are tailored to many of the hot spots already mentioned above: in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Central and Northern Europe, and will provide new insights to help cope with the challenges from extreme and unprecedented climate and weather events. In this way, ARSINOE adds to an emerging portfolio of much-needed initiatives across the EU, including its sister projects REGILIENCE, IMPETUS, and TransformAr. Hence, even if significant global mitigation goals such as those defined by the Paris Agreement are achieved, recent disasters due to extreme weather – not only in Europe but all over the world – increasingly beg the question of whether we are even adapted to the current climate?

You can download the opinion article here.

REGILIENCE & University of Lisbon are inviting you to apply for the Autumn Training Course on Climate Risk Management

The Autumn Training Course “Climate Risk Management – Strategies and Tools for Regional and Local Challenges” represents an initiative promoted by the University of Lisbon and the REGILIENCE project, with the support of the European Union under the NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility and the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

The course will be held between 11th and 17th of October, 2023 back-to-back with the 10th anniversary edition of the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO 2023) 18-20 October, Cascais, Portugal, participants in the forum are welcome to apply.

Why Climate Risk Management?

Climate change is reshaping our world in profound ways, and the need to manage its associated risks has never been more crucial. The autumn training course on Climate Risk Management offers a unique opportunity to delve into the strategies and tools that can make a real difference in your work and organization.

As a policy issue, climate change relates to four key overarching issues:

  • The climate is changing;
  • Humans are causing the climate to change;
  • Socio-ecological consequences are highly uncertain and contentious but include the potential for very severe impacts;
  • There are already multiple and well characterised policy options for Climate Risk Management, with known strengths and weakness.

Climate Risk Management refers to activities and methods used by individuals and organizations to facilitate climate-resilient decision-making. No matter what sort of organisation you work in, you will be impacted in some way by the physical effects of our changing climate and/or by the wealth of regulations and targets societies will be increasingly required to meet.

The objective of the course is to explore why managing climate change risk is important to your work and organisation, and how to do it. The course is designed for climate change practitioners dealing with the practical challenges of Climate Risk Management.

Why Apply?

The Autumn Training Course on Climate Risk Management will offer:

  • Comprehensive Learning: The course will provide a comprehensive overview of Climate Risk Management, covering a range of topics and approaches that can be applied in real-world scenarios.
  • Networking: Participants will meet like-minded professionals, practitioners, and experts who are passionate about building climate resilience and will be able to exchange ideas, share experiences, and expand their professional network.
  • Interactive Experience: This is not a typical lecture-based course. The course will focus on interactive discussions, group activities, and hands-on learning, ensuring that participants will walk away with practical skills and actionable insights on climate risk management.
  • Tailored Approach: Participants can bring their regional or local Climate Risk Management challenges to the table. The program is designed to address specific concerns and provide targeted solutions.

Who Should Apply?

If you’re a professional dealing with climate risk management challenges, this program is tailor-made for you. Whether you work in central government, local administration, business, NGOs, media, or academia, the Autumn Training Course offers a dynamic platform to enhance your skills and strategies.

Details and Logistics

The Autumn Training course will take place from October 11th to October 17th, with sessions running from 9 am to 5.30 pm. The course will include group dinners, a field trip, and a mix of structured learning and informal networking.

Application Process and Fees

Applying for the Autumn Training Course is straightforward. Simply fill in a short problem statement, outlining your challenges and explaining how this program can help. Your acceptance will be based on the information you provide in this survey.

The application process is free, and if accepted, there is a modest enrollment fee of 5€ that covers insurance. The tuition fee for the course is 300€, which includes classes, materials, meals, and the field trip. Various discounts are available, making this opportunity accessible to a wide range of participants, as follows:

  • 10% – Non-partner companies that enroll 3 or more employees
  • 15% – Partners and collaborators (including associations and companies in which CIÊNCIAS participates)
  • 25% – CIÊNCIAS ALUMNI

The course will run with a minimum of 15 registered participants and maximum of 25.

Download the programme here.

Register here

Save the date and join REGILIENCE at the 10th Anniversary Edition of the European Urban Resilience Forum!

The 10th European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO) is set to take place from 18th to 20th October in the picturesque city of Cascais, Portugal. This highly anticipated event, co-organized by the City of Cascais, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, the European Environment Agency (EEA), and supported by esteemed partners including the Resilient Cities Network and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and many others, will bring together city representatives, experts, and stakeholders to shape a climate-resilient future for our urban environments.

The REGILIENCE project is proud to announce that apart from active participant, it will be one of the co-organisers of this year’s special anniversary edition of EURESFO 2023 along with Cascais, REGREEN project, Coastal Climate Core Service (CoCliCo), CLEVER Cities, Regions2Climate, Pathways2Resilience and Google’s Environmental Insights Explorer (EIE).

Since its inception in 2013, EURESFO has served as a dynamic exchange platform, facilitating discussions on strategies, initiatives, and actions for adapting to climate change, managing disasters, and building urban resilience. With its “PowerPoint free” promise, EURESFO ensures an informative, open, and interactive experience, encouraging active participation from attendees.

The last year’s edition EURESFO 2022 brought together more than 70 speakers, 300+ participants from all over Europe in 17 sessions – on topics ranging from nature-based solutions, data availability, to digital twinning.

This year, the forum celebrates its 10th anniversary, promising exciting surprises and engaging activities for all participants. The 2023 edition of EURESFO marks a symbolic milestone in assessing Europe’s performance in resilience and addressing crucial questions regarding climate change adaptation. In the midst of an accelerated transformation, where the post-pandemic recovery intersects with an ever-changing climate landscape, the forum provides a platform to evaluate achievements, identify challenges, and explore opportunities for better and faster action.

The program for EURESFO 2023 will revolve around three main thematic streams:

  1. The Governance of the New Extremes: Managing and Funding Climate Adaptation in Europe

This stream focuses on innovative governance models and funding schemes for managing multi-hazard scenarios and increasing climate resilience in the face of new extreme events. Speakers will share insights into successful approaches and discuss strategies for adapting to the changing climate.

  1. Challenging Knowledge and Innovation: Accelerating a Resilient and Just Transformation

This stream aims to bridge adaptation gaps by exploring available climate services, platforms, and standardization processes. Participants will discuss ways to mainstream the improved use of climate information, technologies, and innovations, ultimately accelerating climate adaptation and resilience efforts.

  1. Mainstreaming Solutions for a Just Transformative Pathway: An Integrated Approach to Climate Resilience

Focusing on practical solutions, this stream delves into the successful integration of Nature-based Solutions and green-blue infrastructure in urban planning and action. Speakers will evaluate the performance of tested solutions, discuss upscaling possibilities, and emphasize the importance of participation in achieving transformative resilience.

Join us in Cascais to be part of the vital discussions, network with experts, and gain valuable insights into building resilient communities. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to make a difference!

Registration for EURESFO 2023 is now open! For more information visit the official EURESFO 2023 website  or click here to register.

Follow the @Urb_Resilience Twitter account for the latest updates and programme announcements for #EURESFO2023!

The true cost of water – changing the narrative – Opinion article

Do you drink tap or bottled water? Do you have an idea of how much water your new pair of jeans has required to be produced? Or even the rice in your plate tonight? If you have opened the news these months, you cannot escape it: water is the focus topic of many articles and investigations and of course alerts, but also awareness-raising campaigns. Let’s have a look at the issue and some communication campaigns set to raise awareness about it.  

While France24 released a broadcast under the title “Water, the new war?” or earlier in May detailing the Spanish Tage conflict highlighting the lack of water, other areas are suffering from historic floods. In Emilia Romagna, Italy, the floods end of May were preceded by a drought that had dried out the land, reducing its capacity to absorb water…

Historic levels of floods and droughts are captured around the globe once again -and already- this year, countries suffering temperatures never experienced before are adopting emergency plans and budgets: for instance, while Portugal will benefit from EU aid following the droughts, the Spanish government adopted an emergency plan of €2.2billion to support farmers, invest in (hydraulic) facilities and develop occupational risk prevention. As early as in May, in Spain, the reservoirs were already dry and 80% of cultivated land asphyxiated by water stress, Spain logged “hottest Spring on record”. And it is not anymore only the Mediterranean areas which suffer, northern regions are widely impacted too – 27.68% of soils in Europe and on the shores of the Mediterranean were in a drought situation during the last decade of April, according to the European Drought Observatory, analysing satellite data from the European programme Copernicus. Impacts are a reality and no more “far away” projections. 

Over half of the World’s lakes and reservoirs are losing water, even in humid regions – ¼ of the global population lives in an area where a lake or reservoir is drying up. And what’s more – 100 times more to be precise: April’s record heat wave in Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Algeria was made at least 100 times more likely by climate change, scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA, specialist in the links between extreme events and climate) estimate. 

Solutions are presented such as in a cooperation between Euronews and the European Commission – “Freshwater for all: Europe faces up to the challenge”, highlighting examples in Germany and Spain, or French media Reporterre, showcasing how Andalucia uses regenerative agriculture on dried soils: organic production, soil cover, diversified plantations, a mix between crop and livestock, and more, not forgetting the social aspect (dignified treatment of workers). The initiative was cited as an example of good practice by the United Nations in its latest report on desertification in the world[1]. Other solutions tested include desalination plants to turn seawater into fresh water, reusing wastewater, follow the principles of dryland farming – agriculture in arid zones, practiced particularly in Africa (the cereals grown require little water and the land is slightly sloping to help the rain run off).  

What does all of this teach us? How can we communicate about the lack of water and the need to protect it to make people act?  

In addition to looking for adaptation solutions, States and regions across Europe are increasingly communicating against fires, the preciousness of water and heat waves. And they are not the only ones. NGOs around the globe are letting their imagination run wild to find the campaigns that will reach people. How do we show, convince people? 

Involving people 

The French government just launched a consultation to adapt the country to a temperature of +4°C, to work on anticipation: open to all till mid-September and above all targeting local authorities, companies and NGOs, it aims at setting a common trajectory, to build a real adaptation strategy. What climate should we prepare for and on what time horizon? 

A French NGO fighting against the grabbing of land and water resources has made noise these past months, with a culminating action in Sainte Soline where basins – artificial ponds are under construction. The issue? These basins, gathering water when it rains over colder days, are to be used by few over the drier days, when many are restricting their own uses. The NGOs Bassines non merci and Le peuple de l’eau (Basins, no thanks and People of the water) have just launched a summer campaign #100jourspourlessécher, involving people in actions against the grabbing of water resources. 

We have seen, again in France, that trying to privatise an already scarce resource for a few cannot be accepted anymore: France is Europe’s champ when it comes to owning individual swimming pools (nothing to be proud of). The pools and spa professionals’ federation invited owners to be responsible in using water providing tips in leaflets: is that enough? Can we here rely on people’s actions to protect a common good?[2] 

Should media do more?  

We’ve said it in the introduction: many mainstream media have started covering the topic of climate change and adaptation, with series of articles, extra papers in daily newspapers, etc. This is a good thing. A team of researcher released a study investigating if media succeed in mobilising people when communicating about climate change. The answer is no. Results are that threats seem too far away, in distance and time, the “global” nature of the threats dealt with by the media, etc. Our brains react best to “the imminence of perils here and now”. Media can also recall the “power of collective action”, accompanying fear with solutions, media playing a role in sharing more good practices / mitigation and adaptation tips. 

Nudging behaviour change 

Progressive pricing of water is an option that has led to good results: the more you consume, the more you pay. This approach was already followed now for waste generated by people. A counter example from Portugal led to numerous reactions: citizens purposefully wasted clean water because local authorities made them pay higher prices for lower consumption rates. 

Campaigns and websites focusing on the topic of water have been implemented in the past weeks. Great examples are The Drop Store – your market for a world in water crisis, and the Water Footprint Calculator. While the first markets everyday products at unaffordable rates – their true value if water is scarce, the second translates what you eat, wear, and use, into water spendings, thus linking your behaviour directly to its environmental impact. 

Behavioural change by the use of nudges is a good tool to change mentalities.  

Amplifying emotions can strengthen the message 

A campaign promoted by Sea Shepherd showed pictures of seals and turtles suffocating with plastic bags (here and here). The campaign became viral quite quickly. 

The IPCC explains how our current behaviour will impact our children (not our grandchildren or great grandchildren). 

Listed by the IPCC report, key barriers to adaptation included the lack of private sector and citizen engagement, low climate literacy, lack of political commitment, limited research and/or slow and low uptake of adaptation science, and low sense of urgency. 

EU policy has long recognised the importance of water and established a comprehensive legal framework to protect it. At the UN water conference in March, the EU announced 33 commitments for water action, which contributed to over 600 commitments collected globally at the conference. We hope that national and local political willingness will lead to more measures in place, supported by a more prominent place for good practices to be visible and replicated. National Energy and Climate Plans, which draft versions are due this month and final ones in a year from now, are the opportunity to set up dialogue platforms and set up strategies involving policymakers, NGOs, the industry and citizens! 

The author would like to extend thanks to Marta Maia, IEECP, who has shared useful links and sources feeding this opinion.

[1] Global land outlook, p. 83. 

[2] REGILIENCE has launched this year a maladaptation tool – swimming pools are an example of maladaptation. Adapting to heat waves by adding more pools is no solution, with devastating consequences for water and the environment (artificializing the soil, depriving it of its ability to store water to return it to biodiversity, and to store CO2). 

You can download the opinion article here.

REGILIENCE at ECCA 2023: Advancing Climate Resilience through Tools and Approaches

ECCA 2023, the European Climate Change Adaptation conference, provided a platform for showcasing various tools and approaches aimed at bolstering climate resilience. Among the participating projects, REGILIENCE was featured in two sessions, highlighting the project efforts to supporting European regions and communities in their adaptation efforts.

Session 1: Extreme Events: Tools for Climate Resilience (20th of June, 2023)

In this session, representatives from TransformAr, REACHOUT, Pathways2Resilience, IMPETUS, ARSINOE, and REGILIENCE collaborated to discuss existing tools and approaches for climate resilience, focusing on climate risk assessment, vulnerability analysis, and adaptation pathways. The session fostered valuable discussions on overcoming barriers and embracing enablers to effectively utilize these tools. Several noteworthy findings emerged:

1️) The Adaptation Mission, an ambitious initiative, aims to accelerate and enhance adaptation processes in European regions and communities. The collaborative efforts of multiple projects, including REGILIENCE, provide actionable knowledge and tools crucial for successful adaptation. Cooperation between projects is key to achieving desired outcomes.

2) Technical assistance plays a vital role in helping public administrations within regions and communities understand and select appropriate tools for their adaptation pathways. While tools are essential, people’s active involvement and engagement are fundamental to driving successful implementation.

3) Social science research is crucial in promoting equity in climate adaptation. More data and assessments are needed to ensure that no one is left behind, with a focus on adequate pricing policies for key resources like water and energy and improved social vulnerability assessments.

4) Projects such as REACHOUT, REGILIENCE, Pathways2Resilience, and the Mission Implementation Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change (MIP4Adapt) are working together to compile and structure available reliable tools. Their aim is to make these tools more accessible to regions and communities, reducing confusion and ensuring flexibility and adaptability. Assessing interoperability and relations across the adaptation pathway is also an important aspect.

Session 2: Demonstration of Climate Adaptation Tools (21st of June, 2023)

Chaired by Ad Jeuken and Hasse Goosen, this session showcased climate services-tools developed in various Green Deal projects, including REGILIENCE. The focus was on supporting urban and regional adaptation, with 11 tools demonstrated and discussions held on the status and challenges of climate service development.

In this session Mr. Guido Schmidt – the REGILIENCE technical coordinator, and Matthias Watzak-Helmer presented two of our project notable tools:

  • Maladaptation self-assessment tool: This tool aids users, such as regional authorities and consultants, in identifying potential risk factors for maladaptation early on. By guiding users through a checklist of 17 questions, each targeting a specific risk factor, the tool checks the maladaptive potential of planned adaptation actions.
  • Climate adaptation funding overview tool: Aimed at raising awareness of available financial resources on the European and national levels, this tool supports regional climate resilience. Funding opportunities cater to various implementation stages, sectors, and types of organizations.

REGILIENCE’s participation in ECCA 2023 demonstrated our commitment to developing practical tools and approaches for climate resilience. By collaborating with other projects and emphasizing the importance of cooperation, technical assistance, social science research, and accessibility, REGILIENCE contributes to the collective efforts towards a more resilient future.

Congratulations to all the projects involved and the team behind them, including TransformAr, REACHOUT, Pathways2Resilience, IMPETUS, ARSINOE, and REGILIENCE, for these amazing sessions during ECCA 2023. The event showcased the significance of collaboration and innovation in addressing climate challenges.

Exploring Climate Resilience Tools at ECCA 2023: A Special Session by ARSINOE, IMPETUS, REACHOUT, REGILIENCE, Pathways2Resilience and TransformAr projects

The upcoming European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA) 2023 is set to be a remarkable event that brings together experts, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss climate resilience strategies and share innovative tools. Organized by the Joint Programme Initiative “Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe” (JPI Climate) and supported by the MAGICA project and the European Commission, ECCA 2023 will take place in Dublin, Ireland, from June 19 to 21, 2023. With a focus on actionable knowledge, this in-person conference will feature interactive sessions, plenaries, and live streaming for wider participation, and includes a session to explore Climate Resilience Tools promoted by ARSINOE, IMPETUS, REACHOUT, REGILIENCE, Pathways2Resilience and TransformAr projects.

This year’s edition of ECCA will cover several thematic areas, including stepping up climate action, adaptation responses to sea level rise and coastal change, nature-based solutions, preparing for climate extremes, reframing societal transformation, and climate resilience of future energy infrastructure and systems. It offers a unique opportunity to explore cutting-edge tools and decision-support platforms that facilitate climate adaptation efforts.

One of the highly anticipated sessions at ECCA 2023 is the special session dedicated to climate resilience tools developed by EU Climate Adaptation Mission projects. Led by Jan Cools from the TransformAr and Ad Jeuken from REACHOUT project, this session will delve into the practical aspects of utilizing tools and approaches for climate resilience. Featuring thought-provoking pitches, a panel discussion, and insightful reflections, this session brings together renowned experts and practitioners to explore innovative ways of strengthening climate resilience at regional and global scales.

The session will take place on Tuesday, June 20, at the Printworks Plenary room between 11.30 – 13.10 CET. The session will kick off with an opening by Ad Jeuken from REACHOUT, followed by three informative pitches delivered by experts from TransformAr, REACHOUT, Pathways2Resilience, as follows:

  • How to enable the uptake of tools and approaches for climate resilience? Overview of barriers and enablers.
  • Does Transformational adaptation require a transformation in climate services and tools? Practical examples of applications of climate services in 7 cities.
  • How can tools to strengthen climate resilience be made accessible to the regions? Where do we go from here?

A panel discussion will then take place, reflecting on the outcomes of the poll questions and allowing for further exploration and exchange of ideas. Esteemed panel members, including Jan Cools (University of Antwerp & TransformAr), Nieves Peña (Tecnalia & REACHOUT), Thomas Koetz (Climate-KIC & Pathways2Resilience), and Guido Schmidt (Fresh Thoughts Consulting GmbH & REGILIENCE), will contribute their insights and expertise to enrich the discussion. Mr. Philippe Tulkens, Deputy Mission Manager of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change will provide reflections on the added value of tools for the EU Adaptation Mission. Finally, the session will conclude with a wrap-up by Ad Jeuken from REACHOUT.

All the project’s representatives will be available for discussing the tools and other kind of information in the Piazza, on Wednesday afternoon.

Join us in Dublin to explore actionable knowledge for a climate-resilient Europe.

Learn more and register for ECCA 2023 here.

 

About the projects behind this session:

ARSINOE

ARSINOE is an EU-funded project aimed at creating climate resilient-regions through systemic solutions and innovations. ARSINOE will shape the pathways to resilience by bringing together the Systems Innovation Approach (SIA) and the Climate Innovation Window (CIW) to build an ecosystem for climate change adaptation solutions. This approach is showcased in nine demonstrators, as a proof-of-concept with regards to its applicability, replicability, potential and efficacy.

IMPETUS

IMPETUS is an EU-funded project that aims to accelerate Europe’s climate adaptation strategy to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. By using an adaptation framework based on multi-sectorial, multi-scale and multi-impact solutions and building on Resilience Knowledge Boosters (RKBs), IMPETUS aims to align various governance levels and adaptation policies.

REACHOUT

REACHOUT is an EU-funded research and innovation project to advance user-oriented climate services to support the implementation of the Green Deal.  Therefore, research partners, climate service providers and city stakeholders are co-developing a coherent set of services for seven city hubs across the EU.

REGILIENCE

REGILIENCE is committed to supporting the European Green Deal and the EU Mission “Adaptation to Climate Change” by fostering the adoption of regional climate resilience development pathways. The project develops, compiles, shares and promotes tools and scientific knowledge to support European regions in identifying and addressing their climate-related risks. We work closely with sister projects, such as ARSINOE, IMPETUS and TransformAr to enhance the capacity of 7 focus regions to tackle the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036560.

Pathways2Resilience

Supporting the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, the Pathways2Resilience programme will empower European regions and communities to co-design locally-led pathways towards a climate-resilient future, providing them with guidance adaptable to local needs.

TransformAr

TransformAr is an EU-funded project aimed to develop and demonstrate solutions and pathways to achieve rapid and far-reaching transformational adaptation (TA) across the EU. The project will combine cross-sectoral and multi-scale innovation packages, as the combination of solutions and pathways, to support regions and communities in their societal transformation towards climate change resilience.

Contact

info@regilience.eu