Extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and flooding “will worsen in Europe” according to a new report which also highlights the climate risks that agriculture now faces.
The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) has warned in its first European Climate Risk Assessment report that Europe is the “fastest warming continent in the world”.
But it also highlighted that Europe’s “policies and adaptation actions” are not keeping pace with rapidly growing risks.
The EEA assessment identifies 36 major climate risks for Europe in five key areas: ecosystems, food, health, infrastructure, and economy and finance.
It detailed that risks from heat and drought to crop production are already at a “critical level” in southern Europe, but countries in central Europe are also at risk.
“Prolonged droughts that affect large areas pose a significant threat on crop production, food security and drinking water supplies.
“As one solution, even a partial shift from animal-based proteins to sustainably grown plant-based proteins, would reduce water consumption in agriculture and dependency on imported feed,” it suggests.
Climate challenges
The EEA assessment highlights that extreme heat “once relatively rare” in Europe is becoming more frequent while “precipitation patterns are changing”.
It warns that this combined with environmental and social risk drivers, pose major climate challenges throughout Europe that “compromise food and water security”.
The assessment also identifies that some regions in Europe are “hotspots for multiple climate risks”.
It highlighted that southern Europe is particularly at risk from wildfires and impacts of heat and water scarcity on agricultural production, outdoor work, and human health.
Meanwhile flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion threaten Europe’s low-lying coastal regions, including many densely populated cities.
Leena Yla-Mononen, EEA executive director, added: “Our new analysis shows that Europe faces urgent climate risks that are growing faster than our societal preparedness.
“To ensure the resilience of our societies, European and national policymakers must act now to reduce climate risks both by rapid emission cuts and by strong adaptation policies and actions.”
The assessment outlines that production changes, dietary shifts and “targeted social policies” could be levers to ensure food security in a changing climate.
However the EEA also warns that the “transition to more climate-resilient and sustainable food systems” in Europe requires actions at many levels, from farms to national and EU policies.