Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe

Europe has set ambitious goals in terms of climate change mitigation and adaptation. It has taken a lead role to reach a global agreement on the extraordinary efforts required to combat or avoid negative consequences of climate change. Whether these efforts will be fruitful depends on societal capabilities to effectively cope with the consequences of climate change.
Consequentially, considerations on climate change are becoming a critical parameter in decision-making on all levels, to be integrated into a complex framework of already existing policy, planning and management processes. There is growing recognition that well planned investments in climate mitigation and adaptation may also hold economic opportunities – particularly if compared to potential costs of inactivity. But reliable ways to assess and communicate costs and benefits or risks are not readily at hand. However, they will strongly affect to which extent societies, regional and local authorities, economies, or even companies accept paying for precautionary measures.

This JPI attempts to frame a vital contribution of science to establishing a learning community across the EU capable of developing a sustainable and adaptable Europe. It proposes a systemic approach that considers in conjunction the dynamics of natural and social systems that drive environmental changes, the interaction and feedback involved, and the risks and challenges to societies and their environments.

Website:  JPI Climate