EU leaders ditch call to prepare for ‘new realities’ of warmer planet

Ribera’s office declined to comment on the draft agenda.

Diplomats and spokespeople for national governments contacted by POLITICO largely declined to comment on the changes. 

One EU diplomat said the previous line on preparing for the consequences of global warming had been replaced with references throughout the text, notably a broad call to “strengthen [the EU’s] resilience, preparedness, crisis prevention and response capacities … to protect our citizens and societies against different crises, including natural disasters and health emergencies.”

Another line in the June 21 draft reads: “Our natural environment is facing increasing damage and disruption due to climate change and biodiversity loss. The fast development of new technologies brings opportunities and potential risks.”

Adapting to global warming will require Europe not only to step up disaster preparedness, but also better manage its water resources, restructure vital economic sectors like tourism and agriculture, cool down its cities and reinforce its coastlines against sea-level rise and storm surges. 

Countries will need to tweak welfare systems and labor laws to protect vulnerable groups like outdoor workers or the elderly, update building codes to ensure homes can’t overheat, work with the insurance industry to spread financial risk — and figure out how to pay for it all.

Karl Mathiesen, Aitor Hernández-Morales and Barbara Moens contributed reporting.