SO 2.4 Climate adaptation and disaster risk prevention
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 Climate adaptation and disaster risk preventionSO 2.7 Nature protection and biodiversity
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.
BUFFER+
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 NWE regions large areas of peatlands are drained f...
ResiRiver
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 (NWE), river systems are facing significant challenge...
IB-Green
Industrial and Business Parks – climate resilient & fit for future
Industrial and business parks (IBPs) are highly sealed and especially vulnerable to overheating. Taking up decisive part of the North-West Europe settlement area, they play a crucial role in increasing urban heat islands in the NWE region. Based on t...
FlashFloodBreaker
Make North-West Europe resilient against increasing extreme flash flood events
North-West Europe (NWE) faces an increasing number of flash flood disasters due to climate change. Such extreme events - for example July 2021 in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Ireland and Switzerland - are linked with fatalities, huge losses...
Rural_Roadwater_Rescue
A transnational strategy extending the role of roads to support rural water systems
How to use infrastructure to maintain the balance of waterClimate change causes an imbalance between water supply by rivers and rainfall and the urgent demands from various users in periods of drought. In short periods, extreme weather events provide...
MigFoRest
Assisted Migration to increase Forest resilience in NWE
Humanity largely depends on the ecosystem services provided by forests. They need to be protected from the increasing disturbances caused by climate change. Forests represent significant proportion of NWE land (23% in Belgium, 27% in France, 32% in G...