Climate impacts are increasing across Europe. Unprecedented flooding, severe summer heat and record-breaking droughts across multiple regions point to mounting and ever-increasing climate risks. Recent IPCC reports note that severe climate risks are foreseen even under low-emission scenarios. Ambitious, accelerated action to adapt to climate change is therefore needed, together with strong mitigation efforts.  Even early investment in adaptation cannot fully prevent climate change related impacts, therefore dealing with related losses and damages must be addressed adequately at the EU level.

The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change is an independent body providing the EU with scientific knowledge, expertise and advice relating to climate change. The Advisory Board evaluates policies and identifies actions and opportunities to successfully achieve the EU’s climate targets. The Advisory Board is supported in its work by a secretariat that is hosted by the European Environment Agency. The 2023 work programme of the Advisory Board is informed by the requirements of the EU Climate Law and identifies adaptation as a key activity for 2023 and 2024. The study aims to support the Advisory Board in providing policy-relevant recommendations on how to increase adaptation efforts and enhance the resilience of the EU against climate change impacts. The work is organized across the following areas, with Ecologic Institute coordinating the work on global and EU level policy processes on adaptation.

1. Clarify concepts and definitions related to climate change adaptation, based on a review of key EU legislation and the IPCC assessment work.
2. Describe how scientific knowledge on adaptation is structured by the IPCC.
3. Overview of the ongoing policy processes related to adaptation at the global level.
4. Overview of the policies already in place on adaptation and of the ongoing policy processes at the European level, both climate-oriented and at the sectoral level.
5. Overview of the key stakeholders involved in adaptation and their roles
6. Overview of the work done on adaptation by national scientific advisory bodies on climate change in the EU, the UK and the ICCN.