Elina Bardram, Mission Manager for Adaptation to Climate Change, European Commission
"Pathways2Resilience will help regional and local authorities to explore different adaptation scenarios and innovative solutions in a systemic way, and to find the pathway best suited for their needs.”
Adapting to climate change and building climate resilience in Europe has become crucial, as the disastrous impacts of global warming start to affect our continent, and especially its most vulnerable communities.
Pathways2Resilience is an EU-funded programme led by EIT Climate-KIC, empowering more than 100 regions and communities across Europe to co-design visions of a climate-resilient future.
Running from 2023 to 2027, this flagship initiative under the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change builds on assessments of climate risks and resilience opportunities, and helps regions develop transformative adaptation strategies in a locally-led and participatory way.
Through two public calls, allocating a total of €21 million in cascade funding, selected regions will be able to develop ready-to-implement innovation plans with concrete interventions supporting climate resilience. In addition to direct funding, they will have access to practical guidelines, tools, and hands-on training and mentoring.
Pathways2Resilience is also providing locally-led Innovation Practice Groups engaging regions, local practitioners and citizens groups (with particular attention to vulnerable communities) and an Adaptation Finance Lab, to increase knowledge on innovative adaptation solutions and promote access to adaptation finance.
Pathways2Resilience is helping regions plan for transformative climate adaptation
Over five years, Pathways2Resilience will help regions develop transformative climate adaptation pathways through:
- Two open calls for applications allocating a total of €21 million in sub-grants to 100 regions (funding up to €210,000 for a project period of 18 months);
- Over 10 Innovation Practice Groups connecting regions with international experts, local practitioners, and citizen groups to explore best practices around governance, knowledge access, behavioural change and economic systems;
- Standardised guidance, training and resources on adaptation finance, business models and transformative innovation policies, as well as an Innovation Lab to design innovative finance mechanisms tailored to regions;
- Training modules to share knowledge and tools developed within the programme;
- A one-stop-shop transformative toolbox providing a step-by-step guide with methodologies and tools to support regions in their own journey towards resilience.
By participating in the Pathways2Resilience programme, regions can develop their own transformative adaptation strategies in a risk-free environment, with sub-grants to concretely support their projects, while testing, learning and innovating with partners, and ultimately showing political leadership in climate action.
Locally-led climate resilience pathways
Regions and local communities are at the forefront of climate action. According to the European Committee of the Regions, 90 per cent of climate change adaptation measures are currently undertaken by local and regional authorities. However, these interventions are often happening in a scattered, isolated way, without connecting to each other to achieve wider impact.
Most decision-makers now understand the urgency for collaboration in preparedness, but what is lacking is the sharing of best practices between regions, and the testing of systemic solutions such as adaptive management practices, nature-based and community-based interventions, and risk assessment models that consider the cost of inactivity.
By incorporating systemic adaptation and resilience into their climate plans, and adopting dedicated financing approaches, local communities and regions can move beyond the current state of emergency and reaction, and be able to anticipate, prepare for, and better respond to climate risks.
Pathways2Resilience will support participating regions in developing adaptation plans that are smarter, swifter and more systemic, and to step up cross-border action and collaboration.
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