In the past week, Spain has been hit by devastating floods. Water has surged through narrow streets and left buildings and cars completely destroyed. In the region of Valencia, over 90 people have been found dead or missing. This event is just one example of the floods that have affected Europe in recent years.
We will not be able to completely protect ourselves from what we have seen in Spain. We are talking about enormous amounts of water that arrive in a short time, but with the right measures, it is possible to mitigate the negative consequences, says Kurnik.
Always one step behind
According to him, it is primarily countries that have been affected by floods that have begun to work more comprehensively with climate-adapting cities.
Copenhagen is an example. The city has been hit by several floods and has since begun working with climate-adapted urban planning. They have, for example, built new green areas and adapted existing areas so that they can absorb and redirect water.
But generally, Europe is lagging behind in climate adaptation work.
The simple answer is that we are not well prepared. Globally, the temperature is rising faster than we thought, so we are always one step behind. Measures regarding climate adaptations are being developed all the time, but it is happening too little and too slowly, says Kurnik.
Sweden is no exception, according to Johanna Sörensen, a researcher in technical water resources at Lund University.
I would say that municipalities and regions are crying out for better coordination. It is extremely expensive to climate-adapt. Municipalities also need economic support to be able to work with these issues.
The knowledge exists
Sörensen also mentions Denmark as a country that has succeeded better with its climate adaptation.
They work better with division of responsibilities and information to property owners. They work with greener cities, technical vegetation solutions that can handle large amounts of water and elevation adjustments that affect how water is led.
But the knowledge exists in Sweden, emphasizes Sörensen.
The problem is that we have a complicated division of responsibilities. Just like Denmark, SMHI has begun working to improve its forecasts. It can be quite tricky to predict where cloudbursts will strike, and it is often why people die, she says.
