Mayors Adapt: the Covenant of Mayors new initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change.

Whilst Member States play a crucial role in developing National Adaptation Plans, it is at the local level that impacts of climate change are felt. As such, local authorities are directly vulnerable to the various impacts of climate change, like extreme weather events, like heat waves, storms, floods and droughts, as well as longer-term changes, like economic losses and public health problems – despite their emissions reduction efforts. Local authorities are therefore ideally placed to be the key drivers in the implementation of adaptation measures, improving the overall resilience of local territories in policy fields – including spatial planning, public health, civil protection, risk management, energy, water supply and the environment; many initiatives are already in place to do so.  Mayors Adapt - The Covenant of Mayors Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change sits within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors, the flagship European initiative for cities on taking action on climate change mitigation. It foresees the introduction of climate change adaptation within the framework of the Covenant of Mayors, building upon the success of the previous Commission’s (DG CLIMA) pilot project, EU Cities Adapt, and linking with the existing EEA online platform, Climate-Adapt.   This initiative aims to increase support for local activities, provide a platform for further engagement and exchange, and raise public awareness not only about the issue, but about the necessary measures to be taken towards climate change adaptation. For more information about the initiative and how cities can take action, please visit the Mayor’s Adapt website Sign up page.