Helsinki-Uusimaa an EU pioneer region in climate change adaptation

This Mission aims at helping its pioneer cities and regions to better understand, prepare and manage climate risks. The regions joining will 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 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, the preparation of a regional adaptation plan will be kicking off. This Mission will also support our regional actions.  

– 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, climate change can give rise to new global business opportunities, says 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 the metropolitan region, the adaptation to climate change is both advanced and exemplary. When studying the regional adaptation activities, we will focus on the indirect and global reflection effects regarding the actions 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. The 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 of 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. 

Find out more about Mission Adaptation to Climate Change on European Commission website  

For more information, please contact: Simo Haanpää, Climate Change Adviser at Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council, simo.haanpaa@uudenmaanliitto.fi

Picture credit: Kosti Keistinen