ABSTRACT
Climate change is already affecting our environment, our economy, and our way of living: evidence from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural and social systems are being affected by regional climate change (Parry et al. 2007). A series of extreme weather events in the last decade, such as the heat wave in Europe in 2003, flooding of the rivers Elbe and Danube in 2002 and 2013, and the drought and associated forest fires in 2010 in Russia, have also shaped public awareness of climate change. These events have all highlighted the need for Europe to adapt itself to the realities of climate change, especially considering that the frequency and magnitude of extreme events such as these are projected to increase in the coming years (IPCC 2012).
