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New European Environmental Agency report: “Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016”

The 4th edition of the European Environment Agency’s report on “Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe” was published in January 2017. This report, which is published every 4 years, is an indicator-based assessment of past and projected climate change and its impacts on ecosystems and society. It also looks at society’s vulnerability to these impacts and at the development of adaptation policies and the underlying knowledge base. This edition aims to support the implementation and review process of the 2013 EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change (COM/2013/0216), which is foreseen for 2018, and the development of national and transnational adaptation strategies and plans. This edition also includes a new section on the vulnerability of ecosystems and their services.

What are the main results related to mountains?

The report studies adaptation and vulnerability of the European macro-regions, including the Pyrenees (based on the OPCC’s results), the Alps (based on the Alpine Convention and EUSALP’s results) and the Carpathians (based on the Carpathian Convention results). Key findings in climate change in mountainous regions relate to the change of weather patterns (rise of temperatures, decrease of snow cover, increase of extreme weather events and especially hail) and loss of biodiversity, especially in the Alps which were recognised as a European hotspot for ecosystem services. The increase of extreme weather events is expected to threaten particularly infrastructure on one hand, compromising energy delivery and transport services, but also to increase slope instability on the other hand with the same effects. Changing river flow regimes because of glacier melt and less snow fall threatens agriculture, hydropower potential and winter tourism.

This EEA report in an indicator-based assessment of the current situation in Europe, it does not bring forward any adaptation solutions and the impact these may have. For examples of adaptation solutions to climate change in mountain areas, please see the good practices presented in October 2016 during the X° European Mountain Convention (Bragança, Portugal).

However, the report also points out the knowledge gaps identified by the European Commission in 2014 concerning climate change adaptation, grouped in 8 priority areas among which regional- and local-level adaptation. This priority states that: “Vulnerable European regions and systems need enhanced approaches, including topics such as mountains and their influence regions; the Mediterranean region, a climate change hotspot in all existing evaluations; European coastal areas; international rivers and their catchment areas; urban areas, including their wider metropolitan belts; rural areas and their societies; and islands and outermost regions.” According to the EEA report, Horizon 2020 and other EU-funded instruments such as LIFE Climate Action already address several of these gaps (mountains are target areas in the call for nature-based solutions for resilience for instance) but there is a need for more national research programmes. The Mountain Research Institute has published a Strategic Research Agenda to provide further inputs to the Horizon 2020 work programmes and calls 2018-2020.

European platforms with examples of climate change adaptation

This report related to another EEA report published in 2015 “Overview of climate change adaptation platforms in Europe”. If you are interested in finding out about case studies and good practices on climate change adaptation in Europe, you can visit (not mountain-specific but some case studies are located in mountain areas):

For more information

EEA website

Euromontana’s work on climate change

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23 February 2017

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Today, members of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) meet online to discuss: • The forthcoming RPCG Declaration on the future of EU rural policy, which addresses the open questions in the @European Commission’s ‘key achievements and ways forward’ report;• RPCG members’ position papers on the future of Europe’s rural areas;• RPCG members’ role in the Rural Pact Conference of April 2025;• Members’ actions to date & the Rural Pact Support Office 2025 work programme.More information at: bit.ly/4fwtjnS#RuralPact #RuralVisionEU ... See MoreSee Less
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6 days ago

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📢 #CallForProposals: you can now submit proposals for the #InternationalMountainConference!The international conference dedicated to #MountainResearch is taking place from 14-18 September 2025 in #Innsbruck. It is being organised by the Research Area “Mountain Regions” at the Universität Innsbruck ⛰️🇦🇹📝 The #IMC is currently looking for proposals focusing on scientific research in #MountainRegions around the world. There are six formats to choose from, including plenary sessions and workshops - find out more and submit your proposal by 28 November: loom.ly/ntncy_M ... See MoreSee Less
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2 weeks ago

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We're at the #Gismart project Kick Off meeting in Paris today to share guidelines on communication, dissemination and exploitation of results 💡For the next two days, we will discuss the following steps to assess the sustainability of geographical indications all over Europe, including in the mountains ⛰️🌱🚜👩‍🌾 How to transition to more sustainable diet systems ? 🌱 How to implement the Farm to Fork Strategy?🥩🧀 how to develop a methodology to assess economic, social, environnemental dimensions of GIs sustainability?Pleased to be working on this key topic with INRAE and to continue collaboration with AREPO! More info on GI-SMART 🔗 www.euromontana.org/gi-smart/ ... See MoreSee Less
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3 weeks ago

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🌄 A week ago, we were opening the #MountainConvention2024 in the stunning Catalan Pyrenees! 🏔️✨ 250 mountain stakeholders came together in Puigcerdà to shape the #MountainEconomies of tomorrow! 💬 In the face of socio-economic, environmental, and demographic transitions, our economies must become 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 than ever! 💪🌱From fair remuneration of farmers & ecosystem services, to funding for the transition of mountain resorts, circular economy development for wool and wood products, support for entrepreneurship and interesting public procurement or taxes systems ... all a huge thank you to everyone for your energy and ideas! 🙌 These will be captured in the 𝐏𝐮𝐢𝐠𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚̀ 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, which will be presented on 11 December on International Mountain Day 📜🏔️🔜 Presentations and materials will soon be available! A special thank you to our co-organisers Territori. Generalitat de Catalunya. and CREAF, as well as our supporters Ajuntament de Puigcerdà , #NEMOR Network for European Mountain Research, European Rural Pact 🙏 ... See MoreSee Less
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