Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CROSSEU (Cross-sectoral Framework for Socio-Economic Resilience to Climate Change and Extreme Events in Europe)
Período documentado: 2024-01-01 hasta 2025-06-30
Europe faces rising socio-economic risks from climate change and extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and snow hazards. These hazards affect critical sectors including health, food and water security, agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, tourism, biodiversity, finance, insurance, and social cohesion, and are further amplified by geopolitical tensions and the aftershocks of COVID-19. Current approaches remain fragmented, with limited integration of physical impacts and socio-economic consequences into decision-making. CROSSEU responds by developing a cross-sectoral framework for socio-economic resilience, centred on a Decision Support System (DSS) that integrates climate, economic, social, and bio-geophysical knowledge. Targeting NUTS2 and NUTS3 outcomes, the DSS supports context-specific assessments of vulnerabilities and adaptation options, enabling policymakers, businesses, and communities to better anticipate risks and design pathways for resilience.
The project advances through four steps: co-design with stakeholders; integrated risk assessments across sectors and regions; co-development of resilience options in urban, rural, coastal, and mountain systems; and translation into policy recommendations. By combining event-based storylines of extreme impacts, a harmonised knowledge base, and an operational DSS, CROSSEU delivers tools and evidence that directly support the European Green Deal (EGD), strengthen national adaptation strategies, and inform EU-level climate policy. SSH is embedded throughout the project, analysing how risks affect different groups, how communities respond, and how inequalities, migration, and justice intersect with adaptation. SSH also guides participatory co-production, ensuring stakeholder relevance, and captures non-market impacts such as health, biodiversity, and well-being often missed by economic metrics. CROSSEU empowers local communities, inform national strategies, and strengthen EU frameworks.
The project advances through four steps: co-design with stakeholders; integrated risk assessments across sectors and regions; co-development of resilience options in urban, rural, coastal, and mountain systems; and translation into policy recommendations. By combining event-based storylines of extreme impacts, a harmonised knowledge base, and an operational DSS, CROSSEU delivers tools and evidence that directly support the European Green Deal (EGD), strengthen national adaptation strategies, and inform EU-level climate policy. SSH is embedded throughout the project, analysing how risks affect different groups, how communities respond, and how inequalities, migration, and justice intersect with adaptation. SSH also guides participatory co-production, ensuring stakeholder relevance, and captures non-market impacts such as health, biodiversity, and well-being often missed by economic metrics. CROSSEU empowers local communities, inform national strategies, and strengthen EU frameworks.
CROSSEU has laid the groundwork for robust assessment of socio-economic (S-E) risks from climate change in Europe. By combining climate modelling, S-E analysis, integrated assessment, and governance research, and involving stakeholders in co-design, the project has produced knowledge and tools that directly support resilience planning.
A harmonised data repository has been established, including high-resolution hazard indicators at NUTS2 and NUTS3 scales which allow consistent regional comparisons, based on the Integrated Assessment Framework on the DAFNI platform. Methodologies for identifying Climate Change Hotspots and developing event-based storylines have been applied in case studies across Europe, yielding insights into vulnerabilities and adaptation preferences while integrating gender, equity, and social justice dimensions.
Progress has also been made in applied tools and governance analysis. A prototype DSS, integrating the Teal visualisation tool with DAFNI, enables interactive exploration of model outputs and geospatial data, laying the foundation for a fully operational DSS for policymakers, businesses, and communities. Complementing this, a review of EU and national adaptation strategies highlights fragmented governance and limited scenario use, while identifying innovative practices in water management, finance, insurance, and agriculture as models for more coordinated and forward-looking climate policy.
A harmonised data repository has been established, including high-resolution hazard indicators at NUTS2 and NUTS3 scales which allow consistent regional comparisons, based on the Integrated Assessment Framework on the DAFNI platform. Methodologies for identifying Climate Change Hotspots and developing event-based storylines have been applied in case studies across Europe, yielding insights into vulnerabilities and adaptation preferences while integrating gender, equity, and social justice dimensions.
Progress has also been made in applied tools and governance analysis. A prototype DSS, integrating the Teal visualisation tool with DAFNI, enables interactive exploration of model outputs and geospatial data, laying the foundation for a fully operational DSS for policymakers, businesses, and communities. Complementing this, a review of EU and national adaptation strategies highlights fragmented governance and limited scenario use, while identifying innovative practices in water management, finance, insurance, and agriculture as models for more coordinated and forward-looking climate policy.
CROSSEU has made significant progress in building a cross-sectoral framework for climate resilience in Europe. A harmonised data repository and Integrated Assessment Framework (IAF) now link climate, socio-economic, and bio-geophysical datasets at NUTS2 and NUTS3 levels, enabling consistent and precise risk assessments across key sectors such as health, agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, tourism, biodiversity, finance, and social cohesion.
The project has developed Climate Change Hotspots and event-based storylines, which reveal the regions and sectors most exposed to hazards like heatwaves, droughts, storms, and snow. These assessments integrate inequality, gender, and migration dimensions, ensuring risks are understood as both physical and social challenges. In parallel, a first DSS prototype has been tested, providing interactive visualisation tools and early use cases with stakeholders. Complementing the technical work, a comparative review of EU and national adaptation strategies highlights governance gaps, limited coordination, and weak equity considerations, while also pointing to innovative practices in finance, insurance, agriculture, and risk management.
Together, these achievements lay the foundation for policy-relevant climate services that can strengthen Europe’s ability to anticipate risks, reduce socio-economic losses, and design more effective and inclusive adaptation pathways. Anticipated impacts include better-informed policy and investment planning, clearer risk communication, and fairer distribution of adaptation benefits.
For broader uptake, several needs must be addressed: wider demonstration of the DSS in diverse contexts; integration of behavioural and equity research into models; stronger engagement with financial institutions; and clear IPR and exploitation strategies balancing open access with commercialisation. Extending results beyond Europe and aligning with EU regulatory and standardisation frameworks will also be crucial to ensure scalability and long-term impact.
The project has developed Climate Change Hotspots and event-based storylines, which reveal the regions and sectors most exposed to hazards like heatwaves, droughts, storms, and snow. These assessments integrate inequality, gender, and migration dimensions, ensuring risks are understood as both physical and social challenges. In parallel, a first DSS prototype has been tested, providing interactive visualisation tools and early use cases with stakeholders. Complementing the technical work, a comparative review of EU and national adaptation strategies highlights governance gaps, limited coordination, and weak equity considerations, while also pointing to innovative practices in finance, insurance, agriculture, and risk management.
Together, these achievements lay the foundation for policy-relevant climate services that can strengthen Europe’s ability to anticipate risks, reduce socio-economic losses, and design more effective and inclusive adaptation pathways. Anticipated impacts include better-informed policy and investment planning, clearer risk communication, and fairer distribution of adaptation benefits.
For broader uptake, several needs must be addressed: wider demonstration of the DSS in diverse contexts; integration of behavioural and equity research into models; stronger engagement with financial institutions; and clear IPR and exploitation strategies balancing open access with commercialisation. Extending results beyond Europe and aligning with EU regulatory and standardisation frameworks will also be crucial to ensure scalability and long-term impact.