Climate change impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016

Strengthening the knowledge base
• develop technological options and strategies
to improve air quality and reduce the carbon
footprint of European cities; and
• create climate change networks to facilitate
dialogue among relevant scientific communities,
funding bodies and user communities in the EU.
Horizon 2020 has already addressed in its work
programmes from 2014 to 2017 many of the
knowledge gaps identified in the section above,
including the following:
• Climate services ( 160 ). These are an important
element of EU-funded research in the area of
climate change (see also above). The European
Commission has initiated a 'European research and
innovation roadmap for climate services' (Street
et al., 2015), which aims to develop a 'market' for
climate services for both climate change mitigation
and adaptation. This roadmap will complement
the Copernicus climate services. The definition of
climate services in the roadmap is: 'Transforming
climate-related data and other information into
customised products such as projections, trends,
economic analysis, advice on best practices,
development and evaluation of solutions, and any
other climate-related service liable to benefit, or
that may be of use for the society. These services
include data, information and knowledge that
support adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk
management'. This broad definition is not yet used
widely but in future the distinction between climate
services and adaptation services (see Section 7.1.3)
may become less relevant.
• Decision support tools. These can facilitate decisionmaking
by different end users (e.g. individuals,
businesses, other private sector firms, local
authorities and planners, governments), while
developing adaptation plans and measures, as
well as developing comprehensive economic
assessment of climate change.
• Effective adaptation and implementation. This
requires projects at local, regional or national
levels, conducted using innovative solutions, as
well as testing and dissemination of technological
and non-technological adaptation options,
including ecosystem-based approaches.
• Synergies. This involves supporting the clustering
and close cooperation between initiatives
funded internationally, by the EU and nationally
in the fields of climate change adaptation and
disaster risk reduction, promoting foresight and
large‐scale dissemination activities, and fostering
the science‐policy interface across the EU. It also
involves examining the link between climate
change actions and sustainable development.
• Nature-based solutions for resilience. These can
address synergies between different objectives
such as mitigation, adaptation, disaster risk
reduction and sustainable development. Target
areas include urban, mountain and coastal areas.
• Monitoring. This includes frameworks and methods
to assess climate change impacts, vulnerabilities,
the performance and effectiveness of adaptation
measures, and operational and organisational/
governance needs for successful replication and
follow-up.
• Governance, participatory processes and methods.
These can facilitate knowledge transfer and uptake
by stakeholders.
Related to this, JPI Climate ( 161 ) was initiated in 2011
to support multi-national research activities related
to improving climate projections, climate services,
societal transformation and decision support
tools. The aim of Joint Programming is to increase
the value of relevant national and EU research
and development funding by concerted and joint
planning, implementation and evaluation of national
research programmes. A new ERA initiative called
'ERA for climate services' (ERA4CS) began on 1 January
2016 ( 162 ). It is closely linked to JPI Climate. ERA4CS
aims to boost research for climate services, including
climate adaptation, mitigation and disaster risk
management.
Furthermore, the EU has funded Climate-KIC ( 163 ).
Climate-KIC is one of three knowledge and innovation
communities (KICs) created in 2010 by the European
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The
EIT is an EU body whose mission is to create
sustainable growth. Climate-KIC supports this
mission by addressing climate change mitigation
and adaptation, although most of the activities so
( 160 ) http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=climate-services.
( 161 ) http://www.jpi-climate.eu.
( 162 ) http://www.jpi-climate.eu/aboutERA4CS.
( 163 ) http://www.climate-kic.org/about.
324 Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016 | An indicator-based report