Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts

This paper uses network modelling and data from 102 non-EU countries to identify critical intervention points for EU climate adaptation. It highlights water, agriculture, livelihoods, and conflict as key nodes where strategic adaptation can prevent systemic risk cascades across borders.

• The research identifies water and agriculture as critical domains where strategic adaptation by the EU and its partners can potentially prevent major risk cascades and improve stability.
• Livelihoods and violent conflict are identified as recurring critical intervention points; in low-income countries, these factors often amplify cascading risks, while in high-income countries, reduced crop exports serve as transmission channels for cross-border impacts.
• The study argues for policy coherence to manage interconnected vulnerabilities, noting that increasing agricultural output without integrated water management can exacerbate water scarcity, and that protecting livelihoods can mitigate risks of displacement, conflict, and instability.

APA

Auer, C. (2025). Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/publications/critical-intervention-points-for-european-adaptation-to-cascading-climate-change-impacts/

Chicago

Auer, Cornelia. Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2025. https://www.sei.org/publications/critical-intervention-points-for-european-adaptation-to-cascading-climate-change-impacts/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Auer |first1=Cornelia |title=Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=15 October 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/critical-intervention-points-for-european-adaptation-to-cascading-climate-change-impacts/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{auer2025critical, author = {Auer, Cornelia}, title = {{Critical intervention points for European adaptation to cascading climate change impacts}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/critical-intervention-points-for-european-adaptation-to-cascading-climate-change-impacts/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }