Page - vii - in Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change

vii Foreword II Effects of heat-waves, heavy precipitation, river floods, landslides, droughts, forest fires, avalanches and storm surges are all felt in Europe, and more and more fre- quently. These extreme weather- and climate-related events have large impacts on human health, the economy and ecosystems. They are exacerbated by ecosystem degradation. Climate projections show that the frequency and severity of most of these hazards will increase across Europe in the next decades. Thus, reducing their impacts on human health as well as the underlying ecosystem health, and in this way adapting to a changing climate have become top priorities for communities and public authorities. Regarding impacts on human health, heat waves affect especially vulnerable groups such as elderly people by worsening respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which are aggravated by air pollution. Flooding, landslides and forest fires also cause fatalities. Arguably, enhancing coherence among the many actors involved in the knowledge base, policy responses, and practices on these issues represents an urgent need. New models of governance need to be adopted between national and local levels and across sectors in Europe. Spatial planning and risk prevention poli- cies as well as technical measures need to combine conventional engineering (e.g. raising dikes) with ‘nature-based’ solutions (e.g. making room for rivers). If carried out properly, such projects can be highly efficient and cost-effective and have mul- tiple benefits  – for example, building parks that cool cities in the summer  – and thereby boost human well-being and also contribute to biodiversity conservation. Updated European regulations and policies on water, agriculture and climate adaptation are driving the push for more sustainable investment solutions to address the challenges posed by climate to address human health and well-being as well as biodiversity. Financing transformational adaptation measures, i.e. measures that change the way a city is built and organized, can be easy or difficult to implement. Measures often fall under the responsibility of other sectors, including water man- agement, transport, nature conservation/protection and health. Collaboration is needed. Taking a comprehensive perspective of integrated and long-term urban develop- ment and considering the municipality as a whole can result in lower overall costs