Impacts of Europe's Changing Climate - 2008 Indicator Based Assessment
Background and objective
This report is an update and extension of the 2004 EEA report 'Impacts of Europe's changing climate'. Since 2004, there has been much progress in monitoring and assessing the impacts of climate change in Europe. The objectives of this report are to present this new information on past and projected climate change and its impacts through indicators, to identify the sectors and regions most vulnerable to climate change with a need for adaptation, and to highlight the need to enhance monitoring and reduce uncertainties in climate and impact modelling. To reflect the broadening of coverage of indicators and make use of the best available expertise, the report has been developed jointly by EEA, JRC and WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Global developments in science and policy
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 4th Assessment report reconfirmed and strengthened earlier scientific findings about key aspects of climate change. Increased monitoring and research efforts have enhanced understanding of climate change impacts and vulnerability. At the 2007 Bali climate change conference, the urgency of responding effectively to climate change through both adaptation and mitigation activities was recognised by a larger number of countries than ever before. The EU has proposed a target of a maximum global temperature increase of 2 °C above the pre-industrial level. A post-Kyoto regime that would include both adaptation and mitigation is expected to be agreed by end of 2009. There has been progress in implementing the Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, developed to help countries improve their understanding of climate change impacts.
European developments in science and policy
European research on impacts and vulnerability in the context of national programmes and the 5th and 6th Framework Programmes has advanced considerably, making a major contribution to international assessments such as those of the IPCC, the Arctic Impact Assessment, the UNEP Global Outlook for Ice and Snow and WHO reports. New research programmes focusing on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation are currently being developed in many member countries and in the context of the 7th Framework Programme. On the policy side, the European Commission published its Green Paper on adaptation in 2007, to be followed by a White Paper by the end of 2008 with concrete proposals for action.
This report
The main part of this report summarises the relevance, past trends and future projections for about 40 indicators (from 22 in the 2004 report). The indicators address atmosphere and climate, the cryosphere, marine systems, terrestrial systems and biodiversity, agriculture and forestry, soil, water quantity (including floods and droughts), water quality and fresh water ecology, and human health. After a brief introduction, several chapters deal in a general way with the changes in the climate system and the observed and projected impacts. The report ends with chapters on adaptation and the economics of climate change impacts and adaptation strategies and policies, and data availability and uncertainty.
JOL André;
ERHARD Markus;
RAES Frank;
VAN MINNEN Jelle;
SWART Rob;
SASTNY Pavel;
VAN DINGENEN Rita;
VOIGT Thomas;
SANDER Gunnar;
CHRISTIANSEN Trine;
FEYEN Luc;
KRISTENSEN Peter;
HARLEY Mike;
JONES Arwyn;
MONTANARELLA Luca;
STOLBOVOY Vladimir;
GENTILE Anna-Rita;
LAVALLE Carlo;
MICALE Fabio;
LAZAR Catalin;
CONTE Costanza;
GENOVESE Giampiero;
CAMIA Andrea;
DURRANT Tracy;
AMATULLI Giuseppe;
HIEDERER Roland;
MENNE Bettina;
ISOARD Stéphane;
WATKISS Paul;
BARREDO CANO Jose';
2008-10-08
OPOCE
JRC47756
978-92-9167-372-8,
1725-9177,
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/downloads/jrc_reference_report_2008_09_climate_change.pdf,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC47756,
10.2800/48117,
Additional supporting files
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