CMCC researcher Katie Johnson is among the lead authors of the European Environment Agency’s latest assessment of climate adaptation across Europe, which finds that while all 32 EEA member countries now have adaptation policies in place, limited monitoring means it remains difficult to assess whether these measures are effectively reducing climate risks.

How do we know whether climate adaptation is actually reducing climate risk? According to the latest assessment by the European Environment Agency (EEA), Europe still lacks the evidence needed to answer this question. CMCC researcher Katie Johnson contributed as a lead author to the report Climate resilience in Europe, 2025 – Progress and challenges, helping assess how European countries are progressing from adaptation planning to implementation and what is still needed to strengthen climate resilience across the continent.

The report provides a comprehensive assessment of national climate adaptation policies and actions across the 32 EEA member countries, showing that all member countries now have national adaptation policies in place, marking significant progress in climate governance. However, it also highlights persistent gaps between planning and implementation, as well as weaknesses in monitoring and evaluation systems that make it difficult to assess whether adaptation measures are effectively reducing climate risks.

Johnson contributed to its conceptual framework and overall analysis, also focusing on stakeholder engagement in climate adaptation, including how national policies address vulnerable groups and the role of the private sector in implementing adaptation actions.

“All 32 EEA member countries have adaptation policies in place, but gaps between planning and implementation, combined with weak monitoring and evaluation systems, mean we can’t tell how well Europe is actually adapting,” says Johnson. “There’s not enough data on implemented measures to know whether adaptation is actually reducing risk from threats like heatwaves, floods, and droughts. Europe could benefit from shared metrics and systematic tracking of adaptation measures to close this evidence gap, allowing for the distinction between policy progress and real risk reduction.”

The assessment comes at a crucial moment, as the European Commission prepares the European Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience, expected by the end of 2026. One of the report’s key recommendations is the development of shared metrics and more systematic monitoring of adaptation measures across Europe. Strengthening the evidence base would help distinguish policy progress from actual risk reduction, enabling more effective adaptation planning and investment.