On the International Day of Climate Action, we want to cellebrate the people who are getting ready, and an have an honest look at the road ahead.
Walk through almost any old town in Europe and you are walking through centuries of climate wisdom: whitewashed walls that send the summer sun back to the sky, shaded streets that catch the evening breeze, stone terraces that hold water on steep hillsides. Long before anyone spoke of “adaptation”, people on this continent were reading their landscapes and passing on what worked.
On 24 October, the International Day of Climate Action, that talent deserves to be celebrated. We are going to need every bit of it!
Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet. Heatwaves arrive earlier and stay longer, rivers run low in summer, and wildfires reach places that once felt safe. Global emissions are still not falling fast enough. Most countries now have adaptation plans, yet too many of them are slow to reach the street, the school or the farm. And the people most exposed, such as older residents living alone, outdoor workers, families in poorly insulated homes and rural communities, are too often the last to be asked what they need.
Why we remain hopeful
Resilience is something communities build, and they can build it surprisingly fast. This year our team worked with thousands of citizens across six European countries, and we came home with a strong impression: people want to talk about how their places are changing, they have practical ideas, and they look after one another by instinct.
Behavioural science backs that hope. Habits spread through our social networks, and research on social tipping points suggests that a committed minority can be enough for a new practice to become the norm. Change can look slow right up to the moment it speeds up, and every person who takes a first step makes the next one easier for everyone else.
The ingredients are within reach: reliable information that people can check for themselves, room for imagination, and real invitations to take part in decisions. That is the combination NEUROCLIMA was created to support, bringing together evidence, AI and behavioural science with the knowledge of the people who know their communities best.
Your part, starting today
Ask an older neighbour how the seasons have changed in their lifetime. Find out what your town is planning for the next heatwave, and ask again if the answer is vague. Start a conversation at work, at school or around the dinner table about what being ready would look like for you.
- Explore the NEUROCLIMA Hub, where climate evidence, news and policy meet in one place.
- Discover all the NEUROCLIMA’s Resources and Activities available in our platform (32): Stakeholder Mapping Canvas, Participatory Risks & Assets Maps, The Crisis and Empathy Dive (Don’t Look Up)…
- And subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates about the project!
We have adapted before, together. This time we can do it faster and more fairly.
