Summary :
This report investigates to what extent cities and towns across Europe are prepared for the increasing risks posed by climate change, focusing on extreme weather events.
It was find out that most national adaptation strategies in Europe identify subnational governments as key implementing actors of adaptation, with local-level adaptation planning or climate change risk assessments mandatory in some countries. However, while many local authorities have realised the importance of adaptation and have started acting, progress in adaptation planning is still slow and the implementation and monitoring of actions even more so.
According to the report, there is an urgent need to change the way we plan and construct our cities. Crucially, climate-adapted land use planning and urban design can substantially reduce the scale of future damage under the changing climate.