Climate-resilient infrastructure: a bridge towards a more competitive Europe
Europe’s roads, railways, energy grid and communication networks, healthcare facilities and other critical assets are facing a climate that in many cases they were not designed for. Identifying which elements to fortify – and how – is critical for Europe’s future. “Climate-resilient infrastructure keeps the essential services that underpin Europe’s economy running,” says Stephanos Camarinopoulos, director at RISA(opens in new window), a German engineering and IT firm. Infrastructure adaptation decisions are complex, as they must account for technical performance, environmental sustainability, economic feasibility and social impacts. Most assessment methodologies treat these dimensions separately despite the need for a comprehensive approach to infrastructure adaptation. Funded under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change(opens in new window), RISKADAPT(opens in new window) addresses this gap by proposing an integrated decision-support approach. “We aim to deliver the tools infrastructure owners need to make better adaptation decisions,” adds Camarinopoulos. “In doing so, we will support more efficient investments, reduce long-term costs and improve overall resilience to future climate risks.”
A unified decision-support environment
One of the key project outcomes is the RISKADAPT platform. The innovative solution integrates climate hazard data, structural vulnerability models, life-cycle assessment tools and social impact indicators. “Users can explore future climate scenarios, assess asset fragility, compare adaptation options and visualise risks and impacts in a very user-friendly way,” notes Camarinopoulos. What sets RISKADAPT apart is that it puts its methodologies and concepts into practice through real-world pilot cases(opens in new window). In Greece, for example, the project’s methods were used to assess both the current and future structural condition of the Polyfytos Road Bridge connecting the cities of Kozani and Athens. The approach was also used in Finland to compare different adaptation strategies for electricity transmission towers under future wind and icing conditions, and identify the most effective long-term solutions. “The pilots show how better adaptation planning can reduce service disruptions, optimise public investments and ultimately protect the infrastructure that is so critical to Europe’s economy and long-term competitiveness,” explains Camarinopoulos.
The importance of social impact modelling
A particularly innovative aspect of the project is its integration of social impact modelling into infrastructure risk assessment. Through spatial microsimulation techniques, the project explored how disruptions to critical infrastructure can affect well-being, accessibility and quality of life – especially for vulnerable communities. “This helped us move beyond purely technical assessments and introduced a stronger societal dimension into climate adaptation planning,” remarks Camarinopoulos. He notes that this social dimension also makes the project’s research even more relevant from a policy perspective. Understanding who is most affected by infrastructure disruptions can help policymakers design adaptation measures that are both effective and equitable, supporting the objectives of the European Green Deal(opens in new window) and the EU climate adaptation strategy(opens in new window), in line with the ‘leave no one behind’ principle.
Safeguarding infrastructure to strengthen long-term prosperity
Concluded in December 2025, RISKADAPT offers an integrated and scalable framework for understanding and managing climate risks to infrastructure systems. The platform’s components will be further exploited by the project’s partners through consultancy services, customised solutions, platform operation and licensing. In doing so, the project is helping protect Europe’s critical infrastructure, strengthen economic resilience and safeguard long-term prosperity in a changing climate.
