Jun 05, 2013 - Floods
in Central Europe have caused deaths and
widespread property damage across parts
of the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria.
Such events are likely to increase in Europe
for several reasons including climate change,
according to recent assessments from the
European Environment Agency (EEA).
Considering flood risk
in Europe, we can see climate change will
be an increasingly important factor. But
in many cases, flood risk is also the result
of where, and how, we choose to live – increases
in costs from flooding in recent decades
can be partly attributed to more people
living in flood-prone areas.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director
Floods, storms and other
hydro-meteorological events account for
around two thirds of the damage costs of
natural disasters, and these costs have
increased since 1980, according to a recent
EEA assessment of climate change impacts
in Europe.
The observed increase
in damage costs from extreme weather events
is mainly due to land use change, increases
in population, economic wealth and human
activities in hazard-prone areas and to
better reporting. To confirm the exact role
played by climate change in flooding trends
in past decades, it would be necessary to
have more reliable, long-time series data
for rivers with a natural flow regime.
In any case, it is likely
that rising temperatures in Europe will
intensify the hydrological cycle, leading
to more frequent and intense floods in many
regions. Although quantitative projections
for flood frequency and intensity are uncertain,
the contribution of climate change to the
damage costs from natural disasters is expected
to increase in the future due to the projected
increase in the intensity and frequency
of extreme weather events in many regions.
Hans Bruyninckx, EEA
Executive Director, said: “Considering flood
risk in Europe, we can see climate change
will be an increasingly important factor.
But in many cases, flood risk is also the
result of where, and how, we choose to live
– increases in costs from flooding in recent
decades can be partly attributed to more
people living in flood-prone areas.”
Adapting to flood risk
Europe needs to adapt
to climate change that is happening now,
and anticipate future changes, according
to a recent EEA report on climate change
adaptation in Europe.
Adaptation measures
can be broadly categorised as ‘grey’ measures
such as technological and engineering projects,
‘green’ ecosystem-based approaches using
nature, and so-called ‘soft’ measures such
as policies to change governance approaches.
The most effective adaptation projects often
combine two or more different approaches.
To put this into action, territorial and
physical planning have an important role
to play. Possible actions to reduce the
impacts of floods are addressed in this
report and also in the recent EEA report
on European water resources in the context
of vulnerability.
For example, 'Room for
the River' or similar concepts are applied
in various EU Member States. Rivers are
given more room to overflow at specific
locations. This ‘room’ is created in a number
of ways, such as lowering floodplains, relocating
dykes, or allowing artificially reclaimed
land to be re-submerged. In addition to
safety, the river area can thus be made
more resilient, healthy and attractive,
offering more room for nature and recreation.
Cities are also working
on actions to reduce their vulnerability
to flooding. According to an EEA report
on urban adaptation to climate change, roughly
one fifth of European cities with over 100
000 inhabitants is very vulnerable to river
floods. Impermeable surfaces (‘soil sealing’)
can prevent water from draining, leading
to increased risk of flooding, according
to this interactive map published by the
EEA this year. The report provides various
examples of cities that have adaptation
strategies or have taken action to adapt.
The European Union is
addressing flood risk through the Floods
Directive. Countries are required to draw
up flood risk maps by 2013 and establish
flood risk management plans focused on prevention,
protection and preparedness by 2015.
In April 2013 the European
Commission adopted a Communication on an
‘EU strategy on adaptation to climate change’
which aims at contributing to a more climate
resilient Europe. The strategy aims to enhance
the preparedness and capacity to respond
to the impacts of climate change at local,
regional, national and EU levels.
Green infrastructure
can also reduce flood risk. Green infrastructure
is a network of natural and semi-natural
areas designed and managed to deliver a
range of ecosystem services, for example
wetlands which can absorb excess rainwater.
In May 2013, the Commission adopted a communication
on green infrastructure.
Copernicus helps flood
response
In responding to the
flooding, the German authorities have called
on Copernicus, the Earth observation programme
of the EU, to help provide maps of the areas
affected. The maps, which are helping national
emergency services to plan their response,
are based on satellite data provided through
the European Space Agency and detailed spatial
reference data owned by regional German
mapping authorities.
Within the Copernicus
Emergency Management Service, national reference
data for use during crises is facilitated
through the EEA's GISC project and an agreement
signed with Eurogeographics. Coincidentally,
data access arrangements, which make the
German data available free of charge, were
only put in place last week.