Europe’s cities step up efforts to fight heat, drought, floods
The world’s largest floating office imperceptibly rises and falls with the tide in Rotterdam’s Rijnhaven harbour basin, where the Rhine-Meuse delta meets the North Sea. Designed to be largely self-sufficient and “future proof”, it runs on solar power, uses river water for heating and cooling, and has a green roof to absorb rainwater. Built mostly from European timber, it is designed to be dismantled and reused.
Its most striking feature, however, is that it sits on water – rising sea levels and floods pose no threat. The Floating Office Rotterdam is one of many solutions that architects, urban planners, local officials and climate experts are developing to make the places where people live, work, and recreate more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
Rotterdam is a pioneering city when it comes to climate resilience: for over a decade it has built water squares, green spaces, dykes, and storm barriers to fend off rising seas, torrential rain, heatwaves, and droughts.
“It’s a matter of self-interest,” said Chantal Zeegers, the city’s vice mayor, at the European Urban Resilience Forum (EURESFO) in June. With around 80 percent of Rotterdam below sea level and Europe’s largest port on its shores, the city is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Adaptation is essential to keep society and the economy functioning.
Europe | “We are gambling with the risks”
Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent, with temperatures increasing at more than twice the rate of the global average. Devastating floods in Spain, raging wildfires in Greece, and destructive droughts in Poland highlight the urgent need to prepare for worsening impacts, alongside cutting emissions.
“We are gambling with the risks we are facing,” said Wolfgang Teubner, head of ICLEI Europe, a network of regional governments promoting sustainable development. As some authorities and businesses hesitate to build resilience, damage is inevitable. “One way or another, we will pay the bill.”