EU projects seeks to integrate flood research across Europe
With Europe suffering from an increase in the number and severity of floods in recent years, an EU funded initiative is looking to integrate national flood research programmes across 11 European countries. The project has just published its report into how these countries are responding with research to the challenge of climate change and increased vulnerability in their quest to better understand the causes and consequences of flooding. Sebastian Catovsky, the CRUE project coordinator, said: 'Developing a deeper understanding of the impacts of flooding and climate change is essential to avoid escalating costs and damages. The report we are publishing today shows how Europe is already taking the first step - by strengthening its research base on flood risk management and integrating national research programmes more closely.' The ERA-NET CRUE Report 'National research programmes on Flood Risk Management across Europe', found that research programmes across the 11 countries amounted to over €55 million, with Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands conducting the largest research programmes. With flood-related research representing on average 1 - 4% of the total annual national investment in flood risk management, this funding came mostly from the public sector - primarily government ministries, agencies and research councils. According to the report, the increased flood risk is likely to be one of the most damaging impacts of climate change in Europe. Citing a recent insurance industry study, the report projected that by the end of the century, the costs of flooding in Europe could increase 10 to 20 fold to over €100 billion each year if no action is taken. Coordinated by the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the CRUE ERA-Net will provide the starting point for the better integration of floods research across Europe. The partners in the project include Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Scotland and Spain