Abstract
The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events (e.g., floods, heat and cold waves, storms, forest fires) resulting from climate change-compounded vulnerabilities and exposure require a specific research focus. Climate-related extreme events are part of disaster risk reduction policies ruled at international, EU, and national levels, covering various sectors and features such as awareness-raising, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, monitoring and detection, response, and recovery. A wide range of research and technological developments, as well as capacity-building and training projects, has supported the development and implementation of these policies and strategies. In particular, research and innovation actions support the paradigm shift from managing “disasters” to managing “risks” and enhancing resilience needs. In this respect, a huge body of knowledge and technology has been developed in the EU-funded Seventh Framework Programme (2007–2013) and Horizon 2020 (2014–2020), for example in the area of measures and technologies needed to enhance the response capacity to extreme weather and climate events affecting the security of people and assets. In addition, networking initiatives have been developed to connect scientists, policy-makers, practitioners, and industry and civil society representatives in order to boost research uptake, identify gaps, and elaborate research programs at EU level. Research and networking efforts are pursued within the newly starting framework program Horizon Europe (2021–2027), with a focus on supporting civil protection operations. This paper provides a general overview of relevant EU policies and examples of past and developing research in the area of weather and climate extreme events and highlights current networking efforts in this area.
Highlights
The increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather and climate events resulting from climate change-compounded vulnerabilities and exposure require a specific research focus
Climate change impacts the frequency and severity of weather/climate extreme events, and the need for proactive management efforts are obviously recognized worldwide. This is reflected in international fora from different angles, namely economic impact forecasting and recommendations expressed by IPCC [1], and disaster risk reduction under the Sendai Framework for Action [2], that are themselves considered in a large span of sectors and EU policies covering secure, safe, and resilient society issues in relation to risks incurred by climate extreme events
Research programming in this area was pursued under the 7th Framework Programme (2007–2013) or FP7, in particular, projects funded under the “Environment” theme largely contributed to gathering knowledge relevant to the natural hazards knowledge base, while the “Secure Societies” theme focused on civil protection aspects
Summary
The new approach to the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) aims to ensure a high degree of protection of EU infrastructures and increase their resilience against all threats and hazards [7], and this includes climate impact-related threats. Within this policy framework, a technical guidance on climate-proofing of infrastructure projects has been recently adopted for the period 2021–2027. It is essential to clearly identify—and to invest in—infrastructure that is prepared for a climate-neutral and climate-resilient future In this respect, climate-proofing is a process that integrates climate change mitigation and adaptation measures into the development of infrastructure projects
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