ETC CA, European topic Centre - Climate change Adaptation and LULUCF

The European Topic Centre on Climate change adaptation and LULUCF (ETC CA) is a Consortium of 16 European organisations, including Plan Bleu,with expertise in the topic area of climate change adaptation and Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) working in partnership with the European Environment Agency under a framework partnership agreement for the period 2022-2026.

The lead institution of the ETC CA is Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC).

What we do – Supporting the policy process

Partnership network of the EEA and its member and cooperating countries:

the National Focal Points(NFPs) & National Reference Centres (NRCs) – about 1000 experts, 350 national institutions and other bodies.

European Topic Centres (ETCs) supporting the EEA on environmental topics as defined in its multi-annual work programme.

The Strategy has four principle objectives: to make adaptation smarter, swifter and more systemic, and to step up international action on adaptation to climate change:

Smarter adaptation

Adaptation actions must be informed by robust data and risk assessment tools that are available to all – from families building homes, businesses in coastal regions and farmers planning their crops. To achieve this, the strategy proposes actions that push the frontiers of knowledge on adaptation so that we can gather more and better data on climate-related risks and losses and enhance Climate-ADAPT as the European platform for adaptation knowledge.

Faster adaptation

The effects of climate change are already being felt, and so we must adapt more quickly and comprehensively. The strategy therefore focuses on developing and rolling out adaptation solutions to help reduce climate-related risk, increase climate protection and safeguard the availability of freshwater.

More systemic adaptation

Climate change will have impacts at all levels of society and across all sectors of the economy, so adaptation actions must also be systemic. The European Commission will continue to actively mainstream climate resilience considerations in all relevant policy fields. t will support the further development and implementation of adaptation strategies and plans at all levels of governance with three cross-cutting priorities:

• Integrating adaptation into macro-fiscal policy

• nature-based solutions for adaptation

• local adaptation action.

Stepping up international action for climate resilience

The EU Will increase support for international climate resilience and preparedness through the provision of resources, by prioritising action and increasing effectiveness, through the scaling up of international finance and through stronger global engagement and exchanges on adaptation.

EU MISSIONS – Adaptation to climate change

Climate change is a direct threat to our health, economy and way of life. We are facing an increase in floods, hurricanes, forest fires, storms and drought. The impact of climate change is already costing the European Union 12 billion euros.

We can be prepared for inevitable changes and extreme events, share experiences and solutions, and prevent major economic losses.

The aim is to help at least 150 European regions and communities to become resilient to climate change by 2030.

Actions

The Horizon Europe programme will provide €368.3 million in seed funding during the period 2021-23 to help deliver on the mission;

Establish a Mission Implementation Platform to support and coordinate delivering the mission and assist participating regions;

The mission will start working with 60-100 regions between 2021-23, and continue with another 50-100 regions

2022-2026 Mission

As an integral part ofEionetthe mission of the ETC CA is to assist the EEA in informing and supporting the EU policy processes and their developmentsby providing elevant information, improving the existing knowledge base and to assist member countries in the area of climate change adaptation and LULUCF.. The ETC CA will supply the technical and scientific expertise and competences needed to carry out data handling and analysis, thematic, integrated and systemic assessments, and to communicate the European state and trends of the environmentoccurring in the countries concerning climate change adaptation and LULUCF.

Ultimately, the ETC CA work also follows and feeds into the cycle of large assessments every 5 years on the‘European State of the Environment and Outlook Report” – SOER (2020 being the most recent; 2025 being the upcoming one).