Extreme heat, drought, wildfires and storms disrupted transport, energy and water supply across Europe this year, confirming risks the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) identified two years ago. A briefing published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA) looks at how to climate-proof critical infrastructure, based on the lessons learned this year.
Extreme heat amplified by climate change cost the European Union at least 1% of its GDP in 2026, according to the EEA’s briefing ‘Europe’s critical infrastructure under climate stress — lessons from 2026’, published today. Drought, wildfires and storms also disrupted transport, energy and water supply across Europe this year, confirming risks the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) identified two years ago.
The briefing finds that the pace of adaptation needs to increase if Europe’s infrastructure is to cope with a changing climate. Low water levels on the Rhine disrupted freight transport and supply chains, storms damaged road, rail and electricity networks in Portugal, and drought and heat put power generation under pressure in Central and Eastern Europe. In many cases, the impacts spread from one sector to another. Estimates show that the energy sector accounts for about 23% of drought-related economic losses in Europe, around EUR 2 billion per year. (....)