CLIMAte risk and vulnerability Assessment framework and toolboX

Project Information

CLIMAAX

Grant agreement ID: 101093864

DOI

10.3030/101093864

EC signature date 9 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 28 February 2027

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 20 002 272,50

EU contribution

€ 19 999 772,50

Coordinated by

STICHTING DELTARES
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CLIMAAX (CLIMAte risk and vulnerability Assessment framework and toolboX)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

CLIMAAX is an EU-funded project that provides substantial analytical, financial and practical support to regions and communities to develop and improve their climate risk assessment (CRA). The project started in January 2023 and runs until December 2026.

The European landscape of disaster risk management and climate adaptation is far from uniform. The most vulnerable regions are the ones least prepared for upcoming climate risks and often also those with limited resources and access to CRA tools. CLIMAAX responded to the Horizon Europe call to support European regions and communities with the development of regional CRAs based on a transparent CRA approach. This as part of the objective of the EU Mission on Adaptation to accompany at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience by 2030.

The CLIMAAX consortium developed a first version of a robust and coordinated framework for harmonised and comparable CRAs that binds the existing frameworks, methods and tools together (a.o. CDS, EU RAST, JRC RDH). The project promotes the use of datasets and service platforms for local and regional scale deployment. Herewith, the project aims to bring the existing tools and services beyond state-of-the-art and promotes the further development of their accessibility, guidance, tuning to local contexts, interpretation and uptake by representative Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection authorities.

CLIMAAX is designed to significantly contribute to the harmonization and enhanced uptake of the practice of CRA, leaving a legacy for upcoming European initiatives.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The online open access CRA handbook has been launched (handbook.climaax.eu). The handbook consists of:

(1) a CRA framework with guiding steps on how to conduct a climate risk assessment. The design of the CLIMAAX CRA Framework builds upon an extensive review of Union Civil Protection Mechanism documents, European National Adaptation Plans and Strategies, peer-reviewed literature, existing CRA frameworks, international ISO standards and feedback from the Pilots and the CLIMAAX Community of Practice. The CLIMAAX CRA Framework has been introduced and shared for review with the EEA and JRC.

(2) a CRA toolbox with workflows for multiple hazards (fire, floods, droughts, heatwaves, heavy precipitation) building upon peer-reviewed methods and datasets.

The CRA toolbox and framework have been tested, implemented, and improved in collaboration with the 5 CLIMAAX pilot regions: Setubal (PT), Finland, Latvia, Catalunya and Zilina (SK) to ensure their usability.

The first CLIMAAX open call for Third-Party projects was launched in December 2023. Any EU or associated region could apply for funding up to 300.000 Euro to conduct a regional CRA using the CLIMAAX CRA tools. The CLIMAAX Open Call team received 119 applications of which 32 projects for a total budget of 5.438.891€ have been selected. Sub-granting will take place over summer 2024. The implementation of the regional projects starts October 2024. The second Open Call was launched in the first week of July 2024.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

All tools are open access available online and have been developed with a focus on user-friendliness. In the coming RP the developed handbook will be employed and thus evaluated by ~60 EU regions and communicities. In the 3rd RP we will explore options for the continuation and further upscaling of the service. One main concern may be the continued access to financing for (1) the users / EU regions and for (2) support and maintenance.

CLIMAAX Risk Assessment Framework