‘Risk data hub’ to enhance EU resilience to climate hazards

By Frédéric Simon 

The European Commission is preparing to launch a “risk data hub” in the coming months that will help map out loss and damage from natural disasters such as floods, droughts, storms and other extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent with climate change.

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“We started with loss and damage data. And then we realised that we had to go broader than that and provide a tool across the EU which becomes a disaster risk management tool,” [said Nacira Boulehouat, a senior official heading the disaster risk reduction unit at the European Commission’s directorate for civil protection and humanitarian aid operations (DG ECHO)] at a EURACTIV event held last month.

The EU database will gather information about the risks and impacts of natural hazards of all sorts – including floods, droughts, wildfires or earthquakes. It will also include historical data to allow a more accurate mapping of risks, Boulehouat told the event, supported by Swiss insurance company Zurich.

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“It is not an easy project because the data doesn’t lie with the Commission,” [Boulehouat] explained, saying the information currently contributed by national and regional authorities could be complemented with private sector data.

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