Against the backdrop of a summer already marked by heatwaves and wildfires across much of Europe, the EU Day for Victims of the Global Climate Crisis on 15 July honoured those who have lost their lives to climate-related disasters and expressed solidarity with the communities and families affected, while highlighting measures to better manage climate risks and strengthen disaster prevention, preparedness and response.
In Brussels, the European Commission brought together representatives from civil society, EU institutions, national and local authorities, and international partners for the event Building Resilience to Protect People and Communities.
The panel discussions stressed that we are already seeing some impacts that were only previously expected to arrive in 2050. Panellists emphasised the urgency of shifting from treating climatic hazards in isolation to the compounding effect of one hazard coming on top of another. Expert speakers from across the insurance, health and civil protection sectors all echoed the need to shift to a systemic approach.
Powerful examples were shared about the difference that advance planning can make to lives and health: for example, if a flood washes away the medications needed daily by diabetics or asthmatics, who will fill prescriptions and deliver them in time?
A recurring message in the discussion was that resilience is built from the ground up. This requires that expert knowledge is delivered in a user-friendly way, but also that the lived experience of local communities informs planning and preparation. It is also not be enough anymore to only act at the local level, and responsibilities as well as funding need to be allocated to e.g. landscape level resilience. Speakers highlighted examples from Germany, Belgium and Portugal, where locally led initiatives are helping communities better prepare for climate risks and recover more quickly after disaster.
In video messages, European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra underlined the need to turn growing awareness of climate risks into real action on the ground. This will be a central objective of the forthcoming integrated framework for European climate resilience and risk management, which will set out a more joined-up approach to protecting people, communities and economies from the impacts of climate change.
This year’s commemoration marked the five-year anniversary of the devastating floods that struck multiple countries in Europe in 2021. A minute’s silence, followed by a live musical performance by Ukrainian cellist Aleksey Shadrin, brought the event to a close.
The commemoration extended well beyond Brussels. Across 16 EU countries, the European Climate Pact brought together citizens, communities and local organisations for events that remembered the victims of climate disasters while promoting practical action to strengthen resilience. Activities ranged from the launch of a heatwave preparedness practical guide in Lithuania to a commemoration day in Valencia featuring a climate walk with an expert-led discussion on the impact of the DANA flash floods on the mental health of children and young people.
As climate risks grow, remembering those who have lost their lives must go hand in hand with building a more resilient future for people and communities across Europe and the world.
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