In February, the Council of the European Union adopted the conclusions – a normative act indicating the general principles on which to base activities for the EU Commission and Member States – recommending that civil protection should take into account the possible effects of climate change. Preparedness, prevention, response and recovery are the key words, aimed at building resilient communities; particular attention is then given to the active role of the population
A civil protection that thinks in terms of future planning, in particular taking into account the possible effects of climate change, and actively involving the population: this is the direction that the European Union has taken, with the EU Council Conclusions published in February this year.
The Conclusions of the EU Council are a normative act that represents a recommendation to the Commission and Member States. Recognizing that many extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change, the recently reached and published Conclusions highlight the importance of working towards and preparing for resilience: preparedness, prevention, response and recovery are therefore the key words of the document. Among the recommendations issued by the Council, there is the investment in research and innovation, so as to try to identify and, where possible, anticipate the risks arising from extreme events – a recommendation that goes hand in hand with that of sharing knowledge and achievements. In addition, the Conclusions encourage to promote the development of programs, paths and training dedicated to risks and the role of civil protection in the context of climate change, to develop prevention and preparedness actions and to pursue the development of EU civil protection capabilities based on current and future scenarios.
“It is the first time that the fundamental role of civil protection in mitigating and reducing the impacts of climate change is emphasized, thinking of the former not only as a set of strategies and activities aimed at addressing a present or short-term risk, but also as a tool to foster the resilience of the population, keeping a longer-term perspective on the future”, says Francesca Munerol, researcher in the Planning and Procedures Department of CIMA Research Foundation.
It is important to highlight that, in the Council Conclusions, special attention is paid to the participation of the population. In fact, the document reports the recommendation to promote the active involvement of citizens through the creation of a legal framework, as well as to support the preparedness and resilience of the population through information, education, training and exercises, paying particular attention to the participation of citizens with specific vulnerabilities.
“These points, in particular, represent a change of pace. We are no longer faced with a moral suasion, but an explicit invitation to States to adopt a legal framework that ensures, on the one hand, the participation of citizens – especially young people – in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies and, on the other hand, the efficiency and effectiveness of risk information and communication”, comments Marco Altamura, director of CIMA Research Foundation.
“The conclusions of the European Commission are heading towards a route that we, as CIMA Research Foundation but also as the Italian civil protection system, started to trace years ago”, adds Marina Morando, head of the Planning and Procedures Department. “It is the route for which civil protection planning (which, by its nature, must manage events as they are in the present moment) takes climate change into account when it makes citizens participate in the definition of protection plans. Participation, in fact, serves to create resilient communities; and resilient communities are better able than others to deal with events even different from those expected.”