Adaptation to Climate Change:
Potential and Limits
"We have to avoid the worst and prepare for the unavoidable. Even if we could eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions tomorrow, we would still face the effects of our past emissions for decades to come.
The climate crisis already affects every single place in Europe. I speak to you three days after the hottest 21 February on record, in Brussels and other parts of Western Europe. And that came just a week after we had frosty temperatures.
[...]
This is not easy on nature. It is really, really tough. We need to make sure that we adapt, that we strengthen also our nature, so that is can be a good basis for our carbon sinks and nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions are always the best solutions.
All of this will also affect our health. In 2019, the summer heatwave cost 2500 Europeans their lives. From our current pandemic reality this number seems small, but that year it was the deadliest event worldwide.
The Atlantic Coast is eroding, our outermost regions ravaged by hurricanes, there are forest fires in the Arctic Circle, and crippling droughts in large parts of Central and Southern Europe."
In this module, you will explore the concept of climate adaptation, i.e., measures taken to adjust to impacts of climate change to moderate harm or to exploit beneficial opportunities. This module consists of two parts: (1) a reading exercise that introduces the climate impacts the EU faces, what the EU is doing and how it can strengthen its response; and (2) a video interview with Lisanne Groen, an expert on adaptation governance. At the end of the module, you will be able to discuss what climate adaptation entails, and what the barriers to effective adaptation are.
Module outline
- Reading exercise: Policy contribution 'How can the European Union adapt to climate change while avoiding a new fault line? by Klaas Lenaerts, Simone Tagliapietra and Guntram Wolff;
- Quiz based on the policy contribution;
- Video interview with Lisanne Groen;
- Reflection exercise on the topic of adaptation;
- Further supporting materials (optional).
Concepts relevant to Module 7:
Adaptation, Carbon Sink, European Climate Law, European Green Deal, Lock-in, Maladaptation, Nature-Based Solutions, Precautionary Principle, Subsidiarity Principle.
How can the European Union adapt to climate change while avoiding a new fault line?
READING EXERCISE
The Policy Contribution 'How can the European Union adapt to climate change while avoiding a new fault line?' by Klaas Lenaerts, Simone Tagliapietra and Guntram Wolff forms the basis of this module. The text outlines the physical, economic and sectoral impacts of climate change in the EU and details what the EU is doing to minimise these.
The text will be followed by a quiz.
'How can the European Union adapt to climate change while avoiding a new fault line? was published as a policy contribution on the Bruegel website in June 2022.
Source: Lenaerts, K., S. Tagliapietra and G. Wolff (2022) ‘How can the European Union adapt to climate change while avoiding a new fault line?' Policy Contribution 11/2022, Bruegel
Quiz
This quiz is based on the text you've just read. Write down the answer(s) you think is/are correct. The results can be found at the bottom of this webpage.
1. Select the correct statement
- A) Adaptation refers to efforts to avoid, limit or manage the adverse effects of climate change on human and natural systems, or to capitalise on the opportunities that climate change might offer.
- B) Adaptation refers to efforts to reduce or prevent greenhouse gas emissions.
- C) The specific impacts of climate change are the same across Europe.
- D) Climate change will not exacerbate existing inequalities.
2. What are some of the benefits of an EU intervention on adaptation? Note all that apply.
- A) Acting as a forum for sharing scientific knowledge and for pooling scientific capacities.
- B) Providing the administrative capacity to streamline decision-making and to enable cross-country comparisons.
- C) Enabling cooperation between countries in the case of cross-country climate impacts.
- D) Increasing the economic divergence between Member States.
3. According to the text, what are some of the shortcomings of existing EU adaptation efforts? Note all that apply.
- A) Absence of binding, precise and measurable targets for adaptation policies.
- B) Uncertainty on how the EU will address the consequences of the differentiated climate impacts in the Member States.
- C) Lack of attention to the importance of sharing knowledge and data.
- D) Absence of efforts to stimulate cooperation between regions and countries.
Video: Expert view on adaptation
The second part of the module focuses on adaptation and barriers to it in the EU Member States. Expert Lisanne Groen shares her insights on the topic in the video below.
Lisanne Groen is an assistant professor in international environmental governance at the Open University of the Netherlands (OU).
While watching the video, pay attention to how she frames adaptation and adaptation challenges:
- What are lock-ins and how can they impede adaptation?
- How can decision-makers address these challenges?
This interview is part of the podcast 'How Green Is Your Deal?', a GreenDeal-NET podcast about all things European Green Deal and climate policy-related and can also be listened to in audio-format on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Reflections
Take some time to reflect on the text and the video. Think about the challenges to adaptation measures and the role of the EU in adaptation governance.
- Can EU interventions help address adaptation lock-ins in Member States?
- What do you see as benefits and disadvantages of EU action on adaptation?
Further material
If you would like to learn more about climate adaptation, you can have a look at the following resources:
On adaptation lock-in: The article ‘Re-examining policy stability in climate adaptation through a lock-in perspective’ by Lisanne Groen, Meghan Alexander, Julie P. King, Nicolas W. Jager and Dave Huitema, published in Journal of European Public Policy.
On the local politics of adaptation: The article 'Vulnerability and activism in urban climate politics: An actor-centered approach to transformational adaptation in Malmö (Sweden).' by Salvatore Paolo De Rosa, Joost de Moor, and Maria Dabaieh published in Cities.
On the multiple-level governance of adaptation: The article 'Policy Coordination for National Climate Change Adaptation in Europe: All Process, but Little Power.' by Duncan Russel et al published in Sustainability.
On the importance of 'just resilience': The briefing 'Towards ‘just resilience’: leaving no one behind when adapting to climate change Download 'Towards ‘just resilience’: leaving no one behind when adapting to climate change' by the European Environment Agency.
On the climate impacts in Europe: The interactive report 'Europe's changing climate hazards.' by the European Environment Agency.
On EU climate adaptation policy: Tim Rayner's comment on 'Adaptation to climate change: EU policy on a Mission towards transformation?' published in npj Climate Action.
Other materials that were produced during the GreenDeal-NET project and after the launch of the MOOC:
- Groen et al (2022) Re-examining policy stability in climate adaptation through a lock-in perspective
- ESABCC. (2026). Strengthening resilience to climate change – Recommendations for an effective EU adaptation policy framework'
- ESABCCC. (2026). Climate adaptation and mitigation in the agri-food system: Recommendations for coherent EU policies