Europe should seize the opportunity of improving quality of life while adapting to climate change in cities, according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The report, 'Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe', also warns that delaying adaptation will be much more costly in the long-term.

The report is the first Europe-wide assessment of urban vulnerability to climate change. It argues that the distinct design and composition of urban areas compared to rural areas alter climate change impacts, leading to many diverse challenges for cities within Europe.

“Most Europeans live in cities, which can be extremely vulnerable to extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change”, EEA Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade said. “Many cities are now facing impacts such as water scarcity, flooding and heatwaves, which are expected to become more frequent and intense than they are used to. Cities need to start investing in adaptation measures using ideas and best practice from around the world. The longer political leaders wait, the more expensive adaptation will become and the danger to citizens and the economy will increase.”

According to the report, roughly one fifth of European cities with over 100,000 inhabitants are very vulnerable to river floods, and more than half of Europe’s cities have a low share of vegetated areas, which can strongly exacerbate heatwaves. This is particularly relevant in cities with a high proportion of vulnerable people, as is the case in Italian, German and Northern Spanish cities that have a high proportion elderly citizens.

As cities are heavily interconnected with each other and with different regions in Europe, the report stresses that urban adaptation is not only a local task but requires concerted action at all policy levels. It asserts that coordinated European and national policies, including developing institutions to facilitate cooperation between stakeholders, increase knowledge and ensure access to funding, would help cities adapt to climate change.

The report provides generic advice for adapting cities to climate change and examples of best practice:

• Climate change adaptation should be flexible to accommodate uncertainty. This is evident in the Thames barrier, which protects London from sea level rise – the barrier height can be adjusted to cope with different levels of warming and climate change.
• Adaptation should work with nature, not against it. The Dutch government assessed that climate change demanded a change in its water management. This includes actions to give more space to rivers in the Netherlands, achieved by lowering and widening the flood plains and constructing water retention and storage areas and at the same time creating additional nature areas.
• Many adaptation measures can make cities more pleasant places to live, according to the report. Malmö in Sweden manages rainwater flows with a new open storm water system: green roofs and open water channels lead rainwater into collection points that form a temporary reservoir.
• People also need to change behaviour in order to adapt. Following water shortages in the 1990s, the City of Zaragoza in Spain managed to create a 'water saving culture'. Within 15 years, this successful campaign aimed at citizens and businesses helped the city cut water consumption by almost 30 per cent, despite a 12 per cent population increase.
• Many areas have to anticipate impacts that may be more intense or frequent than before. Botkyrka in Sweden was the only Swedish municipality that was prepared for heatwaves when high temperatures hit in 2010. Social services had identified vulnerable people, and the authorities were prepared to help them.

The report includes can be found at the EEA’s website.