Helsinki-Uusimaa an EU pioneer region in climate change adaptation
The European Commission has chosen the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region to be one of the participating regions in the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change. This is one of five EU Missions altogether. They are a new way to deliver concrete solutions by 2030 to some of our greatest challenges, like reaching climate neutrality, fighting cancer, protecting our seas and adapting to climate change together.
This Mission aims at helping its pioneer cities and regions to better understand, prepare and manage climate risks. The regions joining sign the Mission Charter to express their wish to improve their transformation to climate resilience by 2030, that is to participate in the Mission and prepare in a better way for the climate change.
– In Europe, we can already see serious signs of extreme phenomena caused by the climate change. They affect not only the environment and economy, but also the health of Europeans. Finnish research and business have produced, and will continue producing, a multitude of solutions needed both continentally and globally. But we need to speed up solutions improving our climate resilience, President of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Board, Mr Markku Markkula says.
Climate change adaptation significant for Helsinki-Uusimaa
Next year, with its preparation of a regional adaptation plan kicking off, Helsinki-Uusimaa intends to widen its climate actions to improve our adaptation to climate change. This Mission will also support the regional actions of ours.
– The climate change will certainly affect our region in several ways. We simply have to adjust to these changes and prevent strongly undesirable effects. On the other hand, the climate change can give rise to new global business opportunities, as said by Ms Pia Tynys, Climate Change Chief Adviser at the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.
Mission supporting regional adaptation actions
– Participating regions of this Mission collaborate by exchanging experiences of and information about adaptation actions. Furthermore, we get both data and usable methods for risk evaluations, as well as information about funding possibilities, Climate Change Adviser at the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, Mr Simo Haanpää states.
Several towns and municipalities in our region have already been active. Especially in our metropolitan region the adaptation to climate change is both advanced and exemplary. When studying the regional adaptation activities, our focus will lie upon the indirect and global reflection effects regarding them in the future. The questions and challenges of adaptation are also going to be a more significant part of the regional prognostication in the future.
Missions regenerating the EU
The Missions including cooperation and actions will create new ideas and solutions to the challenges presented. Missions receive funding from the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme for the years 2021-2027. The EU is prepared to offer each of these five missions funding for at least 1 billion euros.
Apart from the Helsinki-Uusimaa Region, also the cities of Espoo, Tampere and Turku, along with the regions of Southwest Finland, Kymenlaakso and Lapland have been chosen to participate in the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change. This mission of adaptation offers support to at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience by 2030. The Mission is furthering the European Green Deal and the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy.
For more information, please contact:
Simo Haanpää
Adviser, Climate Change
simo.haanpaa@uudenmaanliitto.fi
Climate change adaptation and mitigation, Regions4Climate and Canemure Projects
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