[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9994\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAs climate change intensifies, Europe seeks local ways to adapt \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Greece\u2019s capital Athens, an ancient aqueduct could get a new lease of life as Europe steps up efforts to cope with global warming.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe city plans to use a water channel built on the orders of Roman Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD to irrigate modern-day green spaces, which are being expanded to limit the impact of sweltering temperatures. The channel ran 20 kilometres underground transporting water from the foot of Mount Parnitha in northern Athens to near the centre.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUnavoidable change\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nThe possible revival is part of a push across the European Union to come up with distinct local answers to an increasingly common worldwide challenge: how best to adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Athens has very little green space and this has a huge impact on our high temperatures,\u2019 said Professor Chrysi Laspidou, who leads the EU-funded \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101037424\u0022\u003EARSINOE\u003C\/a\u003E project on climate adaptation. \u2018On a small scale, we are trying to show what might be possible by giving people a different vision.\u2019\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAs global warming intensifies, learning how to adapt to extreme weather events \u2013 including more severe heatwaves \u2013 is gaining urgency in parallel with cutting emissions that are exacerbating the climate crisis. Adaptation featured high on the agenda of this year\u0027s COP27, the United Nations climate change summit that took place in November in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAgainst that backdrop, this has been a year like no other. Global weather reports have been dominated by floods, storms, droughts and wildfires. In Europe, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2022\/06\/06\/hailstones-pile-up-as-heavy-storms-hit-germany\u0022\u003EGermany was battered by hail\u003C\/a\u003E in June and the continent as a whole then had its \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/climate.copernicus.eu\/copernicus-summer-2022-europes-hottest-record\u0022\u003Ehottest summer on record\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWorking with areas across Europe that are vulnerable to climate change, we are developing innovative ideas about how they might respond.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Chrysi Laspidou, ARSINOE\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a sign of growing attention to the challenges of adjusting to global warming, the European Commission has launched the \u0027\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/IP_22_3527\u0022\u003EMission on Adaptation\u0026nbsp;to Climate Change\u003C\/a\u003E\u0027\u0026nbsp;to support at least 150 regions and local authorities to become ready to face climate disruptions by 2030. ARSINOE is part of this initiative.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFar and wide \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EARSINOE\u2019s focus is far wider than Athens, bringing together 41 partners made up of industries, universities and local authorities from across Europe and beyond. From \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arsinoe-project.eu\/case-study-7\/\u0022\u003EDenmark\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in the north to the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arsinoe-project.eu\/case-study-5\/\u0022\u003ECanary Islands\u003C\/a\u003E in the south and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arsinoe-project.eu\/case-study-6\/\u0022\u003EBlack Sea\u003C\/a\u003E in the east, the project is developing \u2018living labs\u2019 to tackle local and regional climate challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Working with areas across Europe that are vulnerable to climate change, we are developing innovative ideas about how they might respond,\u2019 said Laspidou, a professor at the University of Thessaly in Greece.\u003Cstrong\u003E \u2018\u003C\/strong\u003EWe aren\u2019t coming in with solutions \u2013 these are decided upon through stakeholder engagement.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EOne distinctive feature of the project is its use of an online marketplace known as the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/climateinnovationwindow.eu\/\u0022\u003E\u2018Climate Innovation Window\u2019\u003C\/a\u003E. Still in development, this portal allows local people to list the climate challenges they face \u2013 from coastal floods to wildfires \u2013 and be matched with innovative solutions being tested in the field.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGoing local\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA separate EU-funded initiative that is advancing Mission Adaptation\u2019s goals is\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101037084\u0022\u003EIMPETUS\u003C\/a\u003E. It combines Earth observation satellite information about climate change with on-the-ground data about affected communities. The project involves residents in weighing up the best responses to a given challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are connecting diverse data and human activities in new ways to implement climate adaptation measures at a local level, which we can then scale up and modify for different regional contexts,\u2019 said Hannah Arpke, the project coordinator and a specialist in science management and rural development at the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ati.ec.europa.eu\/technology-centre\/eurecat-technology-centre\u0022\u003EEurecat Technology Centre\u003C\/a\u003E in Spain.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project covers test sites across Europe and brings together local residents, policymakers, businesses and partners from 32 organisations. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/climate-impetus.eu\/solutions\/\u0022\u003EIts demonstration sites\u003C\/a\u003E span seven bioclimatic regions, ranging from the Mediterranean to the Arctic.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Our digital toolkit and engagement approach will allow people to define the kinds of climate scenarios they are facing, what kinds of adaptive measures they could take \u2013 such as limiting agricultural water use or raising flood barriers \u2013 and see which steps best help them to adjust,\u2019 said the European Science Communication Institute\u2019s Laura Durnford, who is the project\u2019s spokesperson.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECatalan coastline\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe 600-kilometres-long \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/climate-impetus.eu\/demo-site\/coastal\/\u0022\u003ECatalan coast\u003C\/a\u003E in north-eastern Spain is one of the demonstration sites. It\u2019s an area that is highly vulnerable to climate change and will require a range of adaptation strategies.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe are connecting diverse data and human activities in new ways to implement climate adaptation measures at a local level.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EHannah Arpke, IMPETUS\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe local team will map the region\u2019s species, classify them according to their local extinction risk and identify ways to ensure their future. It will also improve the availability of fresh water at campsites and help promote investment decisions in the region.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA key priority for the area is recreating sand dunes and restoring wetlands in response to sea-level rise \u2013 a goal that requires Catalan businesses and regional players to forge a shared understanding of the threat and the protection the dunes and wetlands provide. This is challenging because coastal land ownership creates trade-offs, such as the desire for an unobstructed sea view, issues of access and questions over who pays.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Climate change poses a clear threat in Catalonia, but while there is goodwill towards adaptation there are also often conflicting interests and economic pressures in taking action,\u2019 said Arpke.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn time, the researchers believe their approach can help communities across Europe and beyond to adapt and thrive.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBack to the future\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, back in Athens, ARSINOE is helping to focus minds on the immediate challenge of scorching temperatures.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor a city that last year became the first in Europe to appoint a \u2018chief heat officer\u2019, more vegetation is a pressing need. The heat official has warned about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/radio\/thecurrent\/the-current-for-aug-4-2021-1.6128943\/extreme-heat-could-make-athens-uninhabitable-warns-city-s-chief-heat-officer-1.6129268\u0022\u003EAthens becoming uninhabitable\u003C\/a\u003E as a result of temperature rises. Research has shown that increasing green spaces could help to reduce overall temperatures in cities by up to six degrees Celsius.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EARSINOE is asking Athenians to report local tree cover via a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/minka-sdg.org\/\u0022\u003Ecommon platform\u003C\/a\u003E and using virtual reality to showcase the benefits of a greener city. The two technologies increase public awareness about climate adaptation and help researchers get a better understanding of residents\u2019 preferred solutions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EARSINOE has also teamed up with local schools. Teaching students about climate change\u2019s effects on the environment and society could pave the way for more sustainable consumer behaviour including reductions in energy use and waste - and help children to cope with global warming in the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut perhaps the project\u2019s most ambitious initiative is to revive the Hadrian aqueduct, constructed over 15 years beginning in 125 AD.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EUntil the 1930s, the aqueduct served metropolitan Athens and today still contains water, which, while unsanitised, could be used for irrigation. Pipes are already being built and a water-distribution system is under development.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Greening Athens and using water from the Hadrian aqueduct would enhance our resilience in a multifaceted\u0026nbsp;way at the local level,\u2019 said Laspidou. \u2018It would involve not only intervening with green spaces and alleviating heat, but also\u0026nbsp;integrating local knowledge, culture and history to promote a distinct sense of identity and community.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded via the EU. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-bg-bluelightest tw-p-12 tw-my-12 tw--mx-16\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3 class=\u0022tw-font-sans tw-font-bold tw-text-blue tw-uppercase tw-text-lg tw-mb-8\u0022\u003EEU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-inline-block tw-w-1\/6 tw-h-1 tw-bg-blue tw-mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EWhether it\u0027s forest fires, floods or droughts, the consequences of climate change are already with us, and Europe is warming twice as fast as the world average.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdapting to climate change means taking action now to prepare for both the current effects of climate change and future ones.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change focuses on supporting EU regions, cities and local authorities in their efforts to build resilience against the impacts of climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFollow the link to read more about the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/funding\/funding-opportunities\/funding-programmes-and-open-calls\/horizon-europe\/eu-missions-horizon-europe\/adaptation-climate-change_en\u0022\u003EEU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-zgfnyosll0jon6mezhkksmb4ydjexcoap8ybz-9m-4\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form--ZGFNYoSll0jon6MEzhKKSmB4yDjexCOaP8ybZ-9m-4\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]