The Mediterranean region has long been identified as a climate change hotspot, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warning of severe socioeconomic and environmental consequences. Among its most vulnerable areas is the Valencia region, a key signatory of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. This mission aims to support at least 150 European regions and communities in achieving climate resilience by 2030, a goal that feels ever more pressing in light of recent events.
On October 29-30, 2024, Valencia endured one of the worst flash floods in European history. Data from the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) revealed the staggering scope of the disaster: 78 municipalities affected, over 200 lives lost [1], extensive infrastructure damages, and significant disruptions to rail services. Satellite imagery from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2, captured just a day after the deluge, showed around 15,633 hectares of flooded area and approximately 190,000 people potentially affected by the occured flash flood event.
The scars left by this event will take years to heal. According to the Centre of Mediterranean Atmospheric Studies (CEAM), the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events are intensifying due to climate change. Warmer seas and rising atmospheric temperatures in autumn create the perfect storm for sudden and devastating rainfall. The IPCC AR6 [2] echoes this, forecasting an increase in precipitation extremes across the northern Mediterranean for global warming scenarios above 2°C, potentially accompanied by an increase in of flash floods [3].
This isn’t a distant threat, it’s in our homes, testing the resilience of our communities. The Valencia flood underscores the urgent need to rethink protocols, legal frameworks, and adaptation strategies, particularly in the densely populated Mediterranean, where human activity adds another layer of complexity.
A System Under pressure
The impacted area in the Valencia case has suffered an unbearable level of destruction, affecting all the key community systems identified by the Mission Adaptation to Climate Change:
- Critical infrastructure: highways, railways, bridges, schools, electricity, telecommunications,...
- Water management: drinking water pipelines, wastewater treatment plants, sewage network,…
- Food systems and land use: food supply chains, shops, warehouses, but also farms and fields…
- Health and welfare: from the casualties during the extreme event, but also diseases due to the environment contamination, …
- Biodiversity and nature based solutions: the largest lake of Valencia region, Albufera, was a buffer that helped mitigate the flooding impacts; however, it is also suffering from the sediment accumulation in the area, some of them highly contaminant.
Recovery: A Chance to Transform
Valencia is still under an emergency situation, but reconstruction is already starting, with a “business as usual” recovery not being considered as an option. A recovery action plan in such a dense area, trying to recuperate everyday life as soon as possible, makes it a stronger challenge. Against this scenario, we need to embrace transformative actions, with a systemic approach to make the region more resilient to future events. Nature-based solutions (NbS) offer a path forward. There are already successful examples, most of them Nature-based Solutions, which need to be showcased as best practices, to emphasize the co-benefits they bring to the municipalities where they are applied.
DesirMED’s Role in Shaping the Future
As one of the Demonstrating Regions in the DesirMED project, Valencia’s experience underscores the relevance of our mission. The devastating flood has given our work a renewed urgency and relevance. By studying Valencia’s case, we can refine our tools, share best practices, and deliver actionable strategies to support its recovery. This is not just about rebuilding, it’s about reimagining what’s possible. DesirMED has the expertise, resources, and commitment to create a roadmap for resilience that safeguards communities from the growing threats of climate change. As we reflect on the past year, let’s also look ahead with purpose. We will be able to learn from the Valencia case, but from this column we want to invite you to think about how DesirMED can support the Valencia recovery and which tools, case studies, best practices can be shared in an area that has suffered one of the worst events in the Mediterranean region… because this is a real chance to make a difference!!
The DesirMED editorial board
References
[1] Actualización de datos del Gobierno de España, 3/12/2024, https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/info-dana/Paginas/2024/031224-datos-seguimiento-actuaciones-gobierno.aspx&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1734952229334792&usg=AOvVaw0F1zhMyyodT6zfh_doOcp-
[2] Ali, E., W. Cramer, J. Carnicer, E. Georgopoulou, N.J.M. Hilmi, G. Le Cozannet, and P. Lionello, 2022: Cross-Chapter Paper 4: Mediterranean Region. In: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller,A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA, pp. 2233–2272, doi:10.1017/9781009325844.021.
[3] Llasat, M.C., et al., 2016: Trends in flash flood events versus convective precipitation in the Mediterranean region: the case of Catalonia. J. Hydrol. Reg. Stud., 541, 24–37, doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2016.05.040.
