On 10 December, 2020 at 12:30 CET, Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC) is hosting a webinar on "Urban Adaptation in Europe: How cities respond to climate change".

The recent EEA Report ”Urban adaptation in Europe: how cities and towns respond to climate change”, which is the result of a joint work of the European Environment Agency and the Expert Group for Climate Change Adaptation of the European Topic Centre led by CMCC presents the state of play of adaptation to climate change in European cities. This report provides an overview on the state of play of climate change adaptation at local level, as well as an overview on scientific evidence regarding climate change impacts and efficiency of adaptation options available at local level. It furthermore suggests steps for policy, practice and research to support local action.

The analysis finds an increasing commitment to adaptation and support for such activities in regional and national contexts. Yet, unsustainable urban development is exacerbating the magnitude of climate impacts through the expansion into flood- and wildfire-risk areas, progressing surface sealing and limited vegetation cover. From a procedural point of view, local adaptation action has rarely paid attention to the monitoring and evaluation of adaptation actions, which poses particular problems with regards to knowledge about the efficiency and effectiveness of adaptation measures.