Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016

Europe’s regions are facing rising sea levels and more extreme weather, such as more frequent and more intense heatwaves, flooding, droughts and storms due to climate change, according to this European Environment Agency report. The report assesses the latest trends and projections on climate change and its impacts across Europe and finds that better and more flexible adaptation strategies, policies and measures will be crucial to lessen these impacts.

The key messages of this report are:

• Humans have significantly changed the climate and increased the magnitude of many extreme weather events.
• Climate change has wide-ranging impacts on ecosystems, economic sectors and human health.
• Different regions and sectors in Europe are affected differently by climate change.
• Climate change impacts interact with other developments inside and outside Europe.
• Mitigation of climate change is required to limit the long-term risks from climate change.
• Adaptation to climate change is necessary to reduce short- and long-term risks from climate change.
• Better monitoring, research and information exchange can improve the knowledge base for adaptation.