Europe must urgently prepare for a world up to 3°C warmer, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change has warned.
Researcher Maarten van Aalst said protecting people from extreme weather is “daunting but doable”.
He stressed that many solutions are practical and based on common sense.
The board said current adaptation efforts are too slow and often arrive too late.
It urged governments to plan for temperatures 2.8–3.3°C above preindustrial levels by 2100.
That would be far beyond the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Recent disasters show Europe’s vulnerability.
Floods in Germany in 2021 and Spain in 2024 killed hundreds.
Heatwaves now cause tens of thousands of deaths each summer.
Wildfires last year burned a record area.
The report calls for mandatory climate risk assessments and more funding for protection.
It also urges stronger early warning systems and climate resilience in all policies.
Van Aalst warned that adaptation has limits if warming continues.
He said the priority must remain preventing the most extreme temperature rise.
