The VALORADA project is pleased to announce the publication of its first Policy Brief, entitled “Using Earth Observation Data and Climate Projections to Enhance Climate Adaptation in European Cities and Regions.”
This publication provides policy-relevant insights on how to strengthen the integration of Earth Observation (EO) data and climate projections to support effective, evidence-based climate adaptation measures at the local and regional levels.
Key policy messages
The Policy Brief identifies several key policy considerations to accelerate the use of EO in climate adaptation:
- Promote harmonised EU-wide standards and interoperability to enable the systematic integration of EO and climate datasets into decision-making tools.
- Foster data sharing and institutional cooperation across governance levels, in line with the principles of the Data Governance Act and the Data Act.
- Ensure access to fit-for-purpose, downscaled climate services that meet the specific needs of cities and regions. Investments in downscaling and user-friendly climate data interpretation are key to empowering local authorities.
- Encourage co-design and capacity-building initiatives that bring together EO experts, climate modellers, and end-users to create trusted and usable solutions. This includes joint training programmes, common toolkits, and cross-community collaboration.
Towards actionable and trusted adaptation tools
The findings presented in this Policy Brief demonstrate that technical innovation alone is insufficient to enable local climate adaptation. Real progress depends on breaking down silos between data communities, fostering collaboration across governance levels, and embedding co-design with end-users at every stage of the process.
The VALORADA project’s experience confirms that when local and regional authorities are directly involved in defining requirements and validating outputs, EO and climate communities can deliver tools that are both trusted and actionable.
For more information about the project and its activities, follow the project on LinkedIn and YouTube.
