River networks are among Earth’s most threatened hot-spots of biodiversity and provide key ecosystem services (e.g. supply drinking water and food, climate regulation) essential to sustaining human well-being. Climate change and increased human water use are causing more rivers and streams to dry, with devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Currently, over half the global river network consist of drying channels and these are expanding dramatically. However, drying river networks (DRNs) have received little attention from scientists and policy makers, and the public is unaware of their importance. Consequently, there is no effective integrated biodiversity conservation or ecosystem management strategy of DRNs facing climate change. A multidisciplinary team of 25 experts from 11 countries in Europe, South America, China and the USA will build on EU efforts to investigate how climate change, through changes in flow regimes and water use, has cascading impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services of DRNs. DRYvER (DRYing riVER networks) will gather and upscale empirical and modelling data from nine focal DRNs (case studies) in the EU and CELAC to develop a meta-system framework applicable to Europe and worldwide. It will also generate crucial knowledge-based strategies, tools and guidelines for cost-effective adaptive management of DRNs. Working closely with stakeholders and end-users, DRYvER will co-develop strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects in DRNs, integrating hydrological, ecological (including nature-based solutions), socio-economic and policy perspectives. The end results of DRYvER will contribute to reaching the objectives of the Paris Agreement and place Europe at the forefront of research on climate change.

Globally, there is increased concern of the potential impacts of extreme climate events and their impact on loss and damage of people, assets and property as a result of these events. Therefore, natural partners in using climate services to assess risk are the Global Insurance Sector, who are key implementers in increasing societies resilience and recovery of extreme events and who are integral, co-design partners in this programme. This project intends to operationalize a system, called the Oasis Loss Modelling Framework, that combines climate services with damage and loss information and provides a standardised risk assessment process that can assess potential losses, areas at most risk and quantify financial losses of modelled scenarios. We intend to prove the Oasis LMF system through undertaking a range of demonstrators linked and co-designed to ‘real’ situations and end-user communities in the insurance, municipalities and business sectors (see list of partners & collaborators). These demonstrators have already been agreed with our end-users and develop work around hydro-climatic risk (in the Danube Region), Typhoon Risk, African Farmer Risk – through using climate information to support the underwriting of micro-insurance, climate v health and climate v forest asset risk assessment. We also intend to further expand access by all sectors to the models, tools and services developed within this programme and the broader climate services sector by operationalizing an open eMarket place and matchmaking facility for catastrophe and climate data and models, tools and services and through broadening awareness in the climate modelling and end-users communities to the Framework, and the transparent and comparable standard it offers to support evidence based risk assessment and adaptation planning.

The need: Despite their climate action, mission signatories still face major challenges in climate adaptation planning and implementation. Among specific needs to address the challenges and facilitate adaptation actions, the largest single need identified by 72% of the signatories was ‘knowledge’, replicated across most countries, geographical locations and types of regions. Strengths of the consortium: The REGILIENCE+ Consortium has demonstrated over the past 3 years its capacity to work together in providing coordination and support to climate adaptation Innovation Actions, as well as contributed significantly to the development of the Climate Adaptation Mission, the Mission Portal (e.g., inspiring and contributing to the tools database and the funding database). Expected outputs: Improved knowledge via 150 solutions in the form of case studies, adaptation options and tools included in online inventories (preferably Climate-ADAPT) and 70 multilingual communication products, services, and activities. Envisaged outcomes: Inclusion of inventory updates in mainstream climate adaptation knowledge platforms, and Use of communication products, services, and activities by MIP4Adapt, National organisations and initiatives (including National Adaptation Hubs), Regional and Local authorities, and other entities addressing climate adaptation. Established procedures for the inclusion of inventory updates are in place and used beyond the timeline of REGILIENCE+. Aimed impacts: Smarter, swifter and more systemic adaptation in European regions and local communities, due to improved access to and replication of available and actionable solutions.

The quantity and quality of water resources are serious problems in many European areas, mostly being a joined result of climate change and anthropic influences. The BOOST-IN project aims to develop a successful strategy that promotes technological changes, governance schemes, shifts in mind-set and organizational structures in order to solve these problems through a better management of the water sector and application of the circular economy principles, enabling water reuse and recovery of different materials (e.g. energy, nutrients). However, implementation of these changes still faces several barriers (e.g. technology, economy, knowledge, social perception) that need to be overcome. BOOST-IN will achieve these goals by an effective identification, selection (through a specifically designed dynamic funnel method) and transfer of innovative Water Circular Economy Solutions (WACES) to further close and improve the water cycle. The project will develop and apply its approach in six Regions of Opportunity evenly distributed across Europe (Spain, Greece, Germany, France, Italy and Bulgaria) by organization of co-creation workshops to increase public awareness and support for WACES implementation, barriers overcoming as well as by the specific risk management plans design. At the EU level the project will create an active network of stakeholders and set detailed action plans, including different training and education activities targeting water professionals. In order to promote and boost a successful market uptake of circular solutions and maximize the impact, the project will provide expertise on suitable business models and develop standardized quality criteria, as well as facilitate the links between solution providers and potential investors. Moreover, BOOST-IN will upgrade and benefit from the existing Water Europe Marketplace platform that will enable the projects clustering, B2B matchmaking and selections of appropriate WACES solutions for specific user needs.

Worldwide, water resources management is increasingly challenged by water scarcity and climate change, which can trigger and aggravate other ecological (e.g. pests) and socioeconomic threats (e.g. commodity price fluctuations) via feedback loops and cascading impacts across systems. In this context, planning for the future is rife with uncertainties for which conventional decision-making methods and policies are inadequate. The objective of TRANSCEND is to identify and catalyze the adoption of Transformational Adaptation Policies (TAP) to water scarcity, including innovative allocation systems and economic instruments, that are robust and adaptable to uncertainty and change, while simultaneously achieving equitable and sustainable economic growth and welfare. To this end, TRANSCEND will develop a groundbreaking ecosystem of innovation that combines three key pillars: (i) a knowledge network for stakeholder engagement and knowledge sharing, (ii) an actionable modeling suite that integrates interdisciplinary socio-ecological science and ensemble forecasting to guide TAP design, and (iii) an accounting and monitoring toolbox that supports implementation and enforcement of TAP in practice. TRANSCEND will apply the ecosystem of innovation to design and implement TAP in 7 labs: Júcar River Basin (RB) (Spain); Reno RB (Italy); Tympaki RB (Greece); Nitra RB (Slovakia); Caplina-Mauri-Desaguadero RB (Peru, Chile & Bolivia); Orontes RB (Lebanon, Syria & Turkey); and Mahanadi RB (Indian states of Chhattisgarh & Odisha). TRANSCEND will leverage this diverse set of demonstrators to initiate adoption of the ecosystem of innovation in 8+ inspiration labs, train 160+ transformation agents, and mainstream uncertainty analysis in key national and European Green Deal strategies. This will provide the knowledge and tools to catalyze robust and systemic transformations to water scarcity and climate change globally, with a clear impact pathway towards TAP adoption in 100+ basins by 2030.