The Adaptation AGORA project, a pioneering initiative under the Horizon Europe framework supporting the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and coordinated by CMCC, will officially conclude on December 31^st, marking the successful delivery of its mandate to empower local communities in addressing the climate crisis.

The project demonstrated the transformative power of its multidisciplinary, integrated approach, achieving excellent, tangible results across its four diverse European pilot regions (Germany, Sweden, Spain, and Italy). By integrating scientific data with field knowledge, the project co-designed and validated local resilient adaptation strategies, from urban defences against heavy rains and heatwaves in Dresden and Rome, to developing solutions for vulnerable groups in Malmö and addressing wildfire risks in Aragón. These local successes now serve as robust, replicable blueprints for climate action across the continent.

Among the project’s most significant contributions is its suite of four innovative digital tools, designed to strengthen climate resilience at local, regional, and European levels:

• The Community Hub, an interactive platform connecting experiences, challenges, and solutions from diverse geographies and stakeholders. It serves as a living repository of peer-to-peer learning and a space where communities can collaborate on climate adaptation.
• Two online Academies, designed to boost climate data literacy and counter climate-related disinformation. These educational resources enhance awareness, strengthen local capacity, and empower users to engage meaningfully with climate knowledge.
• The mobile App, which provides a playful and immersive learning experience on climate disinformation, helping users of all ages develop critical thinking skills and recognise misleading narratives.
• Voices of Climate Adaptation, a multimedia storytelling platform collecting and narrating the project’s lessons learned through reportage-style formats. It amplifies the voices of local protagonists and offers an engaging narrative accessible to a broad audience.

Together, these tools form a comprehensive digital ecosystem that will continue to support climate adaptation efforts beyond the project’s lifetime.

A major final outcome of the project is the publication of the Adaptation AGORA Policy White Paper, a strategic document providing a roadmap to upscale citizen engagement for climate resilience across Europe. Rooted in the extensive results and validated learnings from the four pilot regions, the White Paper highlights how locally co-designed, inclusive, and interdisciplinary approaches can effectively address urgent climate challenges. The document outlines sixteen actionable recommendations, structured around 4 key pillars: Institutionalising engagement; Strengthening local capacity; Empowering citizens and stakeholder; Sharing and applying knowledge and best practices. The Adaptation AGORA Policy White Paper is poised to become an essential resource for decision-makers, offering a clear pathway to align European efforts with the objectives of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. It underscores the urgent need for inclusive, bottom-up approaches to build a climate-resilient Europe capable of facing growing climate risks.

A cornerstone of Adaptation AGORA’s success is the vibrant European community it has cultivated. The project’s achievements have been amplified thanks to the commitment of its four pilot regions, +35 followers, as well as the many local authorities, regional bodies, organisations, experts, and citizens who embraced and expanded the Adaptation AGORA model beyond the original geographies. Their active participation, through co-creation activities, testing of digital tools, peer learning exchanges, and shared knowledge, played a crucial role in ensuring the project’s solutions are practical, validated, and strategically embedded in local and regional adaptation frameworks.