Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001260/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
César Luena (S&D)
A new report reveals how cities worldwide are increasingly exposed to extreme droughts followed by floods due to climate change. This phenomenon, i.e. the abrupt change between dry and wet conditions, is known as a ‘climate whiplash’. The study[1], conducted by WaterAid together with academics from the universities of Bristol and Cardiff, analysed the world’s 100 most populous cities and found that 90% of all climate-related disasters involve either an excess or a shortage of water and that these events have increased fourfold in the last 50 years. In Europe, all the cities analysed showed a trend of increasing aridity over the last forty-two years.
- 1.Does the Commission plan to address climate whiplashes with measures to mitigate them in the future water resilience strategy?
- 2.Given that drought affects the quality of drinking water, how is the effective implementation of the Drinking Water Directive ensured in cities most vulnerable to these phenomena?
- 3.In what way is the Commission collaborating with Member States to implement nature-based solutions that mitigate the effects of climate whiplashes, in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy?
Submitted: 26.3.2025
- [1] https://washmatters.wateraid.org/sites/g/files/jkxoof256/files/2025-03/Water-and-climate-Rising-risks-for-urban-populations.pdf