Integrating Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for a Climate-Resilient Europe
The first brief, Integrating Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for a Climate-Resilient Europe, explores how the DISTENDER project has developed an integrated approach to climate adaptation and mitigation by engaging stakeholders and testing strategies across socio-economic and climate scenarios.
At the heart of this approach lies the Decision Support System (DSS) a user-friendly tool designed to simplify complex climate data, compare strategies, and support decision-makers in developing coherent, cross-sectoral policies.
Building on lessons learned from five European Core Case Studies Austria (BMK), the Netherlands (HUAS), Spain/Portugal (Dehesas & Montados, EURAF), Italy (Turin, CMTO), and Portugal (Guimarães) the brief identifies major policy challenges and presents actionable recommendations.
One of the key findings emerging from the analysis is the lack of policy and regulatory frameworks across governance levels, which often prevents adaptation and mitigation efforts from being effectively aligned. This policy brief calls for stronger multi-level governance mechanisms capable of harmonising actions across sectors and ensuring coherence between national, regional, and local initiatives. DISTENDER contributes to this goal by providing a Decision Support System (DSS) that enables policymakers to test and compare strategies across different socio-economic and climate scenarios, supporting evidence-based, cross-sectoral decision-making for more integrated and resilient policy development.
To support this, DISTENDER’s Decision Support System (DSS) offers a valuable resource: a cross-sectoral, evidence-based tool that helps policymakers design and test strategies for robustness in different governance contexts, making it easier to identify synergies, avoid trade-offs, and promote integrated climate action.
Other recommendations focus on enhancing coordination among local, national, and EU authorities, mainstreaming climate considerations into sectoral planning, and ensuring that data and modelling tools are accessible to policymakers at all levels.
The second brief, From Research to Local Action, takes a closer look at how the Decision Support System was applied in the project’s five core case studies to co-develop and evaluate integrated adaptation and mitigation strategies.
It provides policy insights derived from real-world applications, summarising key findings by strategy type (such as green infrastructure, energy transition, and land-use management) and by sector (including water, energy, AFOLU, built environment, and health).
These insights are translated into policy recommendations for local and regional authorities, helping them to transform scientific research into practical, place-based solutions that improve resilience and sustainability. The brief encourages cities and regions to adopt participatory approaches, leverage modelling tools like the DSS, and embed integrated strategies into their local climate action plans.
A step forward for integrated climate governance!
Together, the two Policy Briefs mark an important milestone in DISTENDER’s mission to support Europe’s transition toward coordinated and science-driven climate policies
Cover photo : Matthew Stephenson
