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With European countries facing another year of damaging heatwaves, drought and other extreme weather events, how prepared and resilient are they to handle these events? A new interactive European Environment Agency (EEA) product published today looks at key climate change impacts and adaptation and preparedness actions.
The climate impacts and preparedness assessment explores how heatwaves, floods, droughts and wildfires are increasingly affecting Europe. Through interactive maps and charts, you can find out what happened in the past, what’s projected for the future, and see examples of how the continent is preparing. It aims to raise awareness both among European decision makers and the public about the urgent need to both mitigate and adapt to climate change and strengthen resilience.
Economic costs soar, insurance gap widens
Separately, the EEA briefing ‘Economic losses and fatalities from weather- and climate-related extremes‘ also released today, found that economic losses from weather- and climate-related extremes amounted to just over 45 billion euros in 2023 for 38 European countries including EU and other EEA member and cooperating countries.
Total economic losses from weather- and climate-related events exceeded 790 billion across the EEA-38 member and collaborating countries (32 EEA members plus the six Western Balkan countries) between 1980 and 2023 according to an updated EEA briefing. The briefing, for the first time, also includes data from six Western Balkan countries.
Losses due to climate-related events were highest (since 2001) in Germany, Italy, France, and Spain. Slovenia has the highest losses per capita.
Floods, storms, wind and hail were the top causes for damage compared to other hazards like wildfires or droughts.Less than a third of non-human losses were covered by insurance. Most countries also reported that over 50% of their losses were uninsured, widening the gap between economic losses and insured losses. In many cases this figure exceeded 90%.
Most fatalities between 1980 and 2023 were caused by heatwaves, cold waves, droughts and forest fires. Most fatalities are caused by heat in western, southern and northern Europe.
Background
The European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) published in March helps identify policy priorities for climate change adaptation and for climate-sensitive sectors.
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