Dikes won't do: why Europe is failing to reduce flood risks

The author contends that traditional engineering solutions like levees and dams are insufficient against increasing extreme rainfall and sea-level rise in Europe. The text highlights the failure of 'maladaptive responses' and advocates for nature-based solutions, such as floodplain restoration, while acknowledging the economic and systemic barriers to transitioning away from concrete-based infrastructure.

• Traditional flood infrastructure, including levees, dams, and sea walls, is becoming less effective as it cannot keep pace with climate extremes, sea-level rise, and coastal erosion, often relying on outdated historical data rather than future risk assessments.
• Recent extreme weather events in Europe, such as Storm Boris, demonstrate a predictable pattern where climate change increasingly contributes to extreme events, leading to catastrophic flooding in countries including Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland.
• While the European Floods Directive and the New European Bauhaus initiative promote nature-based solutions like stormwater parks and floodplain restoration, implementation is hindered by deeply engrained planning assumptions and the economic pressure to prioritize development over natural protection.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2024). Dikes won't do: why Europe is failing to reduce flood risks. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/dikes-wont-do-why-europe-is-failing-to-reduce-flood-risks/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Dikes won't do: why Europe is failing to reduce flood risks. 2024. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/dikes-wont-do-why-europe-is-failing-to-reduce-flood-risks/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Dikes won't do: why Europe is failing to reduce flood risks |date=23 September 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/dikes-wont-do-why-europe-is-failing-to-reduce-flood-risks/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2024dikes, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Dikes won't do: why Europe is failing to reduce flood risks}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/dikes-wont-do-why-europe-is-failing-to-reduce-flood-risks/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }