Europeans are increasingly worried about extreme heat and other impacts of climate change but remain poorly prepared to cope with them, according to a Europe-wide survey published on 4 February by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and Eurofound.
The survey, based on responses from more than 27,000 people across all 27 EU member states, found that four in five Europeans have already experienced at least one climate-related impact in the past five years, including heatwaves, flooding, wildfires, water scarcity and extreme weather. More than half of respondents said they were very or quite concerned about extremely high temperatures in the future, while wildfires were also a major source of concern.
Despite the widespread experience of climate impacts, household preparedness remains low. One in five respondents reported having none of the listed household-level protection measures such as shading, air conditioning or ventilation, flood-proofing, rainwater collection or extreme weather insurance. More than 38% said they could not afford to keep their homes adequately cool during summer heatwaves.
The survey also revealed significant social and regional disparities. Lower-income households were disproportionately affected by climate impacts, with respondents in the lowest income group four times more likely to report problems accessing safe and clean water. Northern Europe recorded the lowest share of respondents reporting both climate impacts and the presence of resilience measures. Awareness of climate adaptation measures taken by local authorities was also uneven across regions.
EEA Executive Director Leena Ylä-Mononen said the findings show that protecting Europeans’ well-being in a rapidly changing climate will require much broader implementation of climate resilience measures, including affordable and socially fair actions at household level. Eurofound Executive Director Ivailo Kalfin said the results highlight major gaps in climate preparedness across communities and provide policymakers with critical insight into where action is most urgently needed.
The EEA and Eurofound said the survey offers policymakers a snapshot of the EU’s overall climate resilience and citizens’ ability to cope with climate change in their daily lives. The findings are consistent with other assessments, including the European Climate Risk Assessment, which warns of growing risks to health, infrastructure and ecosystems across Europe.
