EU Wants Countries to Draw Up Plans to Deal With Warming of 3C

The European Union will propose new rules obliging member states to put climate resilience plans in place to deal with average global temperatures rising 3C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

Europe is the fastest warming continent due to climate change and could see average temperatures rise up to 5C by 2100, according to a draft document seen by Bloomberg News. The EU’s 27 member states will be required to come forward with national plans for how they will adapt by end-2030, while the European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch, will identify major risks, including possible climate tipping points.

Climate change “is threatening to increasingly undermine Europe’s social and territorial cohesion,” said the draft, which is still subject to change ahead of its adoption this week. “Climate resilience is becoming increasingly relevant.”

A spokesperson from the European Commission didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The proposal comes two weeks ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Turkey. Global temperatures are now almost certain to overshoot the 1.5C threshold envisaged by the Paris Agreement in 2015, and Europe faces particular pressure to adapt after suffering successive heat waves this summer which contributed to a surge in wildfires.

The EU and member states will assess how climate change will affect various sectors of the economy and environment, including energy, water and communication systems, as well as government budgets.

Photograph: Parisians and tourists cooled off in the Trocadero esplanade fountain near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, on Friday, June 28, 2019; photo credit: Martin Barzilai/Bloomberg

Related: