REGILIENCE at ECCA 2023: Advancing Climate Resilience through Tools and Approaches

ECCA 2023, the European Climate Change Adaptation conference, provided a platform for showcasing various tools and approaches aimed at bolstering climate resilience. Among the participating projects, REGILIENCE was featured in two sessions, highlighting the project efforts to supporting European regions and communities in their adaptation efforts.

Session 1: Extreme Events: Tools for Climate Resilience (20 June 2023)

In this session, representatives from TransformAr, REACHOUT, Pathways2Resilience, IMPETUS, ARSINOE, and REGILIENCE collaborated to discuss existing tools and approaches for climate resilience, focusing on climate risk assessment, vulnerability analysis, and adaptation pathways. The session fostered valuable discussions on overcoming barriers and embracing enablers to effectively utilize these tools. Several noteworthy findings emerged:

1. The Adaptation Mission, an ambitious initiative, aims to accelerate and enhance adaptation processes in European regions and communities. The collaborative efforts of multiple projects, including REGILIENCE, provide actionable knowledge and tools crucial for successful adaptation. Cooperation between projects is key to achieving desired outcomes.
2. Technical assistance plays a vital role in helping public administrations within regions and communities understand and select appropriate tools for their adaptation pathways. While tools are essential, people’s active involvement and engagement are fundamental to driving successful implementation.
3. Social science research is crucial in promoting equity in climate adaptation. More data and assessments are needed to ensure that no one is left behind, with a focus on adequate pricing policies for key resources like water and energy and improved social vulnerability assessments.
4. Projects such as REACHOUT, REGILIENCE, Pathways2Resilience, and the Mission Implementation Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change (MIP4Adapt) are working together to compile and structure available reliable tools. Their aim is to make these tools more accessible to regions and communities, reducing confusion and ensuring flexibility and adaptability. Assessing interoperability and relations across the adaptation pathway is also an important aspect.

Session 2: Demonstration of Climate Adaptation Tools (21 June 2023)

Chaired by Ad Jeuken and Hasse Goosen, this session showcased climate services-tools developed in various Green Deal projects, including REGILIENCE. The focus was on supporting urban and regional adaptation, with 11 tools demonstrated and discussions held on the status and challenges of climate service development.

In this session Mr. Guido Schmidt – the REGILIENCE technical coordinator, and Matthias Watzak-Helmer presented two of our project notable tools:

• Maladaptation self-assessment tool: This tool aids users, such as regional authorities and consultants, in identifying potential risk factors for maladaptation early on. By guiding users through a checklist of 17 questions, each targeting a specific risk factor, the tool checks the maladaptive potential of planned adaptation actions.
• Climate adaptation funding overview tool: Aimed at raising awareness of available financial resources on the European and national levels, this tool supports regional climate resilience. Funding opportunities cater to various implementation stages, sectors, and types of organizations.

REGILIENCE’s participation in ECCA 2023 demonstrated our commitment to developing practical tools and approaches for climate resilience. By collaborating with other projects and emphasizing the importance of cooperation, technical assistance, social science research, and accessibility, REGILIENCE contributes to the collective efforts towards a more resilient future.

Congratulations to all the projects involved and the team behind them, including TransformAr, REACHOUT, Pathways2Resilience, IMPETUS, ARSINOE, and REGILIENCE, for these amazing sessions during ECCA 2023. The event showcased the significance of collaboration and innovation in addressing climate challenges.