Europe in a changing climate

My new website is online: www.climateadaptation.eu

A website that presents the vulnerabilities for the consequences of climate change for all European countries. Also, possible adaptation strategies are summarized. The site is based on hundreds of scientific papers and reports. A short elucidation of my initiative is presented below.

Most climate researchers have drawn the same conclusion: the world’s climate will change and this change has already started. Average temperature has already risen in the past century and the first impacts on, for instance, nature and glaciers have already been observed.

Looking at the projections for Europe one sees major differences in the way climate change may affect countries. It is getting warmer everywhere, but not to the same amount. Precipitation patterns will change, causing droughts to occur more frequent in some countries, and floods in others. Many countries will experience both droughts and floods more often because climate variability will increase.

Also the vulnerability of countries to the consequences of climate change differs. Southern Europe seems to be the most vulnerable. These countries already have to deal with major problems. Agriculture and ecosystems suffer from dry and hot summers, and forest fires devastate large areas. Northern Europe seems to be in a much better position. In fact, northern countries may even benefit from the consequences of climate change.

‘Europe in a changing climate’ is my initiative in which I search for Europe’s vulnerabilities, the impact of the projected climate change and the consequences for all the countries of Europe. The trip will show risks and possibilities, consequences of both climate change and non-sustainable use of land and water resources, and options for adaptation to climate change.

The spot on ‘my’ horizon is the second half of this century. What will Europe look like, as far as the impact of climate change is concerned? I present the consequences for all sectors and all European countries, based on a thorough literature research. The final result is a website that enables you to travel through Europe and explore all projected climate changes, consequences and affected sectors for each country. A lot of work based on hundreds of reports and journal articles.

The subjects and sectors that will be tackled are:

Agriculture (/horticulture); Avalanches, landslides and rock fall; Biodiversity and nature conservation; Climate change; Coastal flood risk (/erosion); Cultural-historical heritage; Desertification; Droughts; Energy; Fishery; Flash floods (/urban flooding); Forest fires (/wildfires); Forestry (/woodland/peatlands); Fresh water resources; Health; Insurance; Permafrost; River flood risk; Salt intrusion; Security and crisis management; Storms; Tourism; Transport, infrastructure and building; Viniculture; Waste management

The map above already gives you an impression of my work and things to come, with a characteristic theme for each country.