The European Commission is proposing legally binding rules requiring member states to plan for a world that is 3°C warmer by 2100 and to assign clear responsibility for managing climate risks across sectors. The proposal reflects a shift toward preparing for climate damage alongside cutting emissions: Europe is warming about twice as fast as the global average, and recent heatwaves and deadly flooding in Valencia underline the risks. EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra argues that emissions reduction alone cannot protect people from the impacts already approaching. Heat contributed to an estimated 50,000 deaths in Europe this summer, compared with 29,000 in 2022.
The push comes as current national climate commitments fall far short of what is needed: a UN assessment says they would cut global emissions only 6 per cent by 2035, against a 60 per cent reduction needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. The EU estimates adaptation will require €70bn annually through 2050, but the proposal provides no dedicated funding, and financing remains tied to negotiations over the bloc’s long-term budget. It also drops a proposed binding duty requiring authorities to account for climate risks in public investments, amid concerns about legal consequences. Hoekstra says the rules will still have force by clarifying who must act. Critics worry that adaptation could divert resources from emissions cuts, while Europe prepares to urge stronger global action at the next climate summit.
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