A member of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change has urged European governments to prepare for a potential 3C rise in global temperatures by 2100, warning that current adaptation efforts are falling short. Maarten van Aalst says Europe is already "paying a price" for inadequate preparation but stresses that improving resilience is "not rocket science."
In a new report, the advisory board described existing adaptation measures as insufficient and often too slow, recommending that officials stress-test policies for a world 2.8-3.3C warmer than preindustrial levels. Such warming would far exceed the 1.5C target set under the Paris Agreement, raising the risk of more intense heatwaves, floods and wildfires.
Recent disasters have highlighted Europe's vulnerability, including deadly floods in Germany and Spain and increasingly severe summer heat that kills tens of thousands annually. Experts say rising temperatures are amplifying extreme weather and exposing weaknesses in infrastructure and emergency planning...