Europe must do more against ‘catastrophic’ climate risks: EU

Europe Faces “Catastrophic” Consequences from Climate Change, Warns EU Analysis

Copenhagen (AFP) –

Europe could suffer “catastrophic” consequences from climate change if it fails to take urgent and decisive action to adapt to risks, a new EU analysis warned Monday.

Introduction

Areas in southern Europe are most at risk, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said in its first report on the risks the continent faces from climate change, driven by human burning of fossil fuels. The dangers include fires, water shortages and their effects on agricultural production, while low-lying coastal regions face threats of flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion. “Many of these risks have already reached critical levels and could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action,” the agency said. That doesn’t mean northern Europe is spared the negative impact, as floods in Germany and forest fires in Sweden have demonstrated in recent years. “Extreme heat, drought, wildfires, and flooding, as experienced in recent years, will worsen in Europe even under optimistic global warming scenarios and affect living conditions throughout the continent,” the EEA warned. “These events are the new normal,” EEA director Leena Yla-Mononen told a press briefing ahead of the report’s release. “It should be the wake-up call. The final wake-up call,” she added.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Risk mitigation and adaptation to climate change
2. Protection of ecosystems and biodiversity
3. Ensuring sustainable water management
4. Promoting sustainable agriculture and food production
5. Preventing coastal erosion and flooding
6. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Risks and Urgent Actions

The report lists 36 risks related to climate in Europe, 21 of which demand more immediate action and eight were “particularly urgent.” At the top of the list were risks to ecosystems, mainly relating to coastal and marine ones.

Heatwaves

For instance, the combination of heat waves as well as acidification and oxygen depletion of the seas and other human-caused factors such as pollution and eutrophication — meaning an excess of nutrients which collapses aquatic ecosystems — as well as fishing threaten marine ecosystems, the report noted. “This can result in substantial biodiversity loss, including mass mortality events, and declines in ecosystem services,” it said. Hans-Martin Fussel, an expert on climate impacts at the EEA, pointed to specifically to the risk of recurring heatwaves, which can pose direct health risks and a threat to ecosystems. “Often in Europe, they’re combined with droughts. And this is a dangerous combination for infrastructure, for water supply,” Fussel told AFP.

Call for Action

European governments and populations should unanimously recognize the risks and make it a priority to do more, faster, to prepare for them, according to the EEA. “We need to do more, to have stronger policies,” Yla-Mononen stressed. Despite the alarm, the agency also acknowledged “considerable progress” made “in understanding the climate risks they are facing and preparing for them” among member states. “However, implementing effective actions may have been hampered by things such as competing priorities, unclear risk ownership or insufficient investment funds,” Fussel said.

Conclusion

On Tuesday, the European Commission is due to publish a report on climate risks in the EU. “The timing is not a coincidence; indeed, we worked under considerable pressure to have our work finished as an input to their communication,” Fussel said.

© 2024 AFP

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
   • Target 13.b: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management

   The article highlights the risks and consequences of climate change in Europe, including fires, water shortages, flooding, erosion, and saltwater intrusion. These issues align with SDG 13, which aims to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The targets mentioned in the article focus on strengthening resilience, integrating climate change measures into policies, improving education and awareness, and promoting capacity building.

2. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.2: Sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts
   • Target 14.7: Increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources

   The article mentions the risks to marine ecosystems due to factors such as acidification, oxygen depletion, pollution, eutrophication, and fishing. These risks align with SDG 14, which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. The targets mentioned in the article aim to sustainably manage and protect marine ecosystems and increase economic benefits from their sustainable use.

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: france24.com

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