Leena Ylä-Mononen is executive director of the European Environment Agency and Darragh O’Brien is the minister for climate, energy and the environment in Ireland
Investing in adaptation against future losses will often deliver a sound financial return in its own right
As Europe endures another summer of record-breaking temperatures, climate change can no longer be described as a future challenge. It is the defining reality of our present.
Across much of the continent, prolonged heatwaves are straining health services, disrupting transport, intensifying drought conditions and heightening the risk of devastating wildfires. Extreme heat, floods, droughts, wildfires and rising sea levels are reshaping how we live, work and plan. No country, region or community is immune.
The science is clear: even if the world succeeds in rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions — and it must — we are already on a pathway to a level of climate change that will continue to influence our economies, environments and daily lives for decades.
This reality demands a simple but profound shift in thinking. Climate action is not only about reducing emissions, but also about preparing for the changes that are already happening and building resilience to those that lie ahead. Adaptation must move to centre stage.
Europe is the fastest-warming continent. Extreme heat has become a significant and deadly climate risk, affecting public health, agriculture, energy systems, water supplies and critical infrastructure. Alongside recurring floods, droughts and wildfires, these events send climate-related shocks cascading through economies and societies.
Weather and climate-related extremes caused economic losses of €822bn across the EU between 1980 and 2024, with more than €208bn of that just between 2021 and 2024. The lesson is straightforward: resilience cannot be built after a crisis occurs. It must be planned, financed and embedded in decision-making long before the next emergency arrives.
Understanding the risks
The good news is that adaptation works. Restoring wetlands reduces flood risks. Urban green spaces lower temperatures during heatwaves. Climate-proofing infrastructure saves money over time and protects communities from costly damage. Effective, early-warning systems save lives.
But adaptation is not a single project or a one-size-fits-all solution.
The pressures facing communities vary enormously across Europe. Mediterranean regions face drought and wildfire; Atlantic coastal communities face storm surges and erosion; mountain regions face changing snowfall and landslide risk; cities must address overheating; rural areas must adapt agricultural practices.
Resilience cannot be built after a crisis occurs. It must be planned, financed and embedded in decision-making long before the next emergency arrives
What unites these challenges is the need for evidence-based planning, informed by local realities and supported by effective governance at every level.
The European Environment Agency’s assessments provide a detailed picture of where vulnerabilities exist and where action is most urgently required. Good adaptation policy begins with understanding risks clearly and acting before they become crises.
The economic case is equally compelling. Fundamentally, this is about investment. Emerging evidence shows that investing in adaptation against future losses will often deliver a sound financial return in its own right.
The World Resource Institute says the average economic return on adaptation measures is about 10 times the amount invested.
Delayed action invariably proves more expensive than preparedness: the costs of rebuilding after disasters, repairing infrastructure, responding to health emergencies and addressing disrupted supply chains far exceed the costs of planning ahead.
A pillar of economic stability
Preparedness should not be viewed as a constraint on growth. It is a crucial pillar of economic stability, competitiveness and long-term prosperity and security.
The European Commission’s resilience agenda reflects the understanding that adaptation is not simply an environmental concern; it is a matter of economic security, public health, infrastructure protection and social cohesion. Building resilience into energy systems, water management, transport networks, housing, food systems and nature restoration will be essential to the EU’s long-term competitiveness.
European initiatives and legislative proposals on preparedness, resilience and adaptation are expected to shape the policy landscape for years to come.
The EU should seize the opportunity to demonstrate that it is prepared to confront climate change and to adapt to it intelligently, fairly and decisively
As Ireland takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, it has a unique responsibility. It will not determine the bloc’s climate future on its own, but it has a real opportunity to facilitate agreement, build consensus and maintain momentum on measures that strengthen resilience — ensuring climate resilience becomes a core consideration in how Europe plans, invests and prepares for the future.
Citizens and markets expect governments and institutions to focus on solutions that make a real difference: infrastructure that can withstand future conditions, better protection from extreme weather, and policies grounded in evidence rather than rhetoric.
History will not judge us solely by how accurately we predicted climate risks. It will judge us by how effectively we responded to them — and how wisely we invested. The EU should seize the opportunity to demonstrate that it is prepared to confront climate change and to adapt to it intelligently, fairly and decisively.