P1 : Climate and Environment

P1 : Climate and Environment

Priority 1 – Smart climate and environmental resilience for NWE territories refers to Policy objective 2 ‘A Greener, low-carbon Europe’. It aims to improve the climate resilience, mitigating the effects of climate change via green/blue infrastructure, and to protect biodiversity and ecosystems by relying on the high potential of the area.

Combating climate change represents one of the main territorial challenges for the cooperation area. The Programme shall contribute to the objective of the European Green Deal (COM (2019) 640 final) to make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. It also feeds into the Sustainable Development Goal 13 “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact”. Despite differences between urban, rural and coastal areas, the NWE area is one of the most economically developed in the EU, with a high density of population and infrastructures (incl. transport) as well as industries. Energy consumption and GHG emissions are very high, contributing to a significant exposure of territories and communities to climate change related risks and threats to nature and ecosystemic services.

SO 2.4 : Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches

Rising temperatures resulting from climate change tend to aggravate natural disaster risks and water management challenges, exposing the North-West Europe (NWE) region to greater local climate variability, negatively affecting human health and safety. Large territories within the NWE Programme area are affected by natural disaster risks and water management concerns. The Programme seeks to promote climate change adaptation, disaster risk prevention, and resilience considering ecosystem-based approaches.

SO 2.4 : Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches

SO 2.7: Enhancing nature protection, biodiversity and reducing all forms of pollution

The potential for additional green / blue infrastructure is relatively low in the North-West Europe (NWE) region due to intense land use and fragmented natural ecosystems. The maintenance and improvement of connectivity between protected areas and the restoration of natural areas is therefore crucial. There is also a strong need to improve the ecological status of blue infrastructure by addressing pollution and discharges caused by agriculture, industry, or wastewater treatment plants. Reducing heat stress and improving air quality by addressing – notably – transport issues as well as the impact of industries and farming on air pollution are also major challenges to be tackled in the NWE region.

SO 2.7: Enhancing nature protection, biodiversity and reducing all forms of pollution

Card image cap

BUFFER carbon + water in peatlands: landscape-based solutions for climate adaptation

Wet and healthy peatlands have a strong natural potential to save carbon and, due to their water buffering capacity, play an important role in managing periods of excessive rains or droughts. Yet, in

Status : ongoing

See the project website
Card image cap

Creating Resilient River Systems by Mainstreaming and Upscaling NbS

Resilient River or ‘ResiRiver’ for short, is a project focusing on the creation of Resilient River Systems through mainstreaming and upscaling of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). In North-West Europe (NW

Status : ongoing

See the project website

Project news