What makes a rural territory resilient to climate change? This is one of the key questions guiding the work of the Horizon Europe REHUBS project. Rural territories across Europe face growing risks from floods, droughts, wildfires and other climate-related hazards. Strengthening their ability to anticipate and respond to these risks requires more than individual measures or technologies. It also requires effective governance.
To explore how governance can help rural territories address these challenges, REHUBS organised an internal workshop with project partners focused on the conditions that support effective climate adaptation. The discussion highlighted that resilience should be understood as an outcome rather than a starting point. The project’s objective is to contribute to rural territories that are better prepared for future climate risks, able to anticipate their potential impacts and equipped to take effective adaptation action. Governance is one of the key mechanisms that can help make this possible.
Introducing the REHUBS governance analysis
On 1 July, AEIDL — the European Association for Innovation in Local Development — presented the methodological approach that will guide the analysis of governance structures across the REHUBS territories over the coming months.
The presentation was delivered by Raquel Pastor Carretero, Serafin Pazos Vidal, and Janne Sinerma, together with colleagues from AEIDL, and provided an opportunity for project partners to discuss how governance can support climate adaptation and resilience in rural areas.
The analysis will bring together experiences from REHUBS territories in Slovenia, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania and Portugal. By examining different territorial and institutional contexts, the project will seek to identify common governance patterns, barriers and enabling factors that influence climate adaptation.
Climate risks extend beyond administrative boundaries
One of the central ideas behind the analysis is that climate risks rarely follow administrative boundaries. Floods, droughts and wildfires can affect territories that extend across several municipalities, regions or areas of responsibility. Governance structures, however, are often organised according to administrative boundaries and formal competences.
This difference between the geographical scale of climate risks and the organisation of governance can make adaptation more complex. Understanding how institutions and organisations cooperate across boundaries is therefore an important step towards developing more coordinated and effective responses.
Key dimensions of resilient governance
The REHUBS analysis will focus on several governance dimensions that can contribute to stronger territorial resilience. These include the capacity to anticipate future climate risks rather than responding only after emergencies occur, as well as coordination and cooperation between different levels of governance.
The analysis will also examine the institutional capacity available to implement adaptation measures. In addition to formal structures and responsibilities, it will consider the role of informal relationships and trust between organisations.
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For further reflections on the workshop and the governance dimensions guiding the analysis, read Raquel Pastor Carretero’s LinkedIn post.
To explore how governance can help rural territories address these challenges, REHUBS organised an internal workshop with project partners focused on the conditions that support effective climate adaptation. The discussion highlighted that resilience should be understood as an outcome rather than a starting point. The project’s objective is to contribute to rural territories that are better prepared for future climate risks, able to anticipate their potential impacts and equipped to take effective adaptation action. Governance is one of the key mechanisms that can help make this possible.
Introducing the REHUBS governance analysis
On 1 July, AEIDL — the European Association for Innovation in Local Development — presented the methodological approach that will guide the analysis of governance structures across the REHUBS territories over the coming months.
The presentation was delivered by Raquel Pastor Carretero, Serafin Pazos Vidal, and Janne Sinerma, together with colleagues from AEIDL, and provided an opportunity for project partners to discuss how governance can support climate adaptation and resilience in rural areas.
The analysis will bring together experiences from REHUBS territories in Slovenia, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Lithuania and Portugal. By examining different territorial and institutional contexts, the project will seek to identify common governance patterns, barriers and enabling factors that influence climate adaptation.
Climate risks extend beyond administrative boundaries
One of the central ideas behind the analysis is that climate risks rarely follow administrative boundaries. Floods, droughts and wildfires can affect territories that extend across several municipalities, regions or areas of responsibility. Governance structures, however, are often organised according to administrative boundaries and formal competences.
This difference between the geographical scale of climate risks and the organisation of governance can make adaptation more complex. Understanding how institutions and organisations cooperate across boundaries is therefore an important step towards developing more coordinated and effective responses.
Key dimensions of resilient governance
The REHUBS analysis will focus on several governance dimensions that can contribute to stronger territorial resilience. These include the capacity to anticipate future climate risks rather than responding only after emergencies occur, as well as coordination and cooperation between different levels of governance.
The analysis will also examine the institutional capacity available to implement adaptation measures. In addition to formal structures and responsibilities, it will consider the role of informal relationships and trust between organisations.
________________
For further reflections on the workshop and the governance dimensions guiding the analysis, read Raquel Pastor Carretero’s LinkedIn post.