He climate change will increase inequalities between the regions of the European Union and will especially affect those of the Mediterranean, the coasts and the East, according to a report from the European Comission published this Wednesday.
The ninth Brussels Cohesion Report reviews the progress made to reduce gaps both between regions and between EU Member States.
It highlights that climate change “exacerbates regional inequalities, by most intensely affecting the coastal, Mediterranean and southeastern regions of the EU.”
Those regions, “who are already poorer than the EU average, are more vulnerable” and can be affected in a way “disproportionate”Add.
The costs of this phenomenon “can amount to more than one 1% of GDP annually,” according to the same document.
The graphs included in the report indicate that, in a scenario of a temperature rise of 2 degrees by 2050, in Spain this impact would exceed a 2% of GDP in many regions of the southern part of the country.
It will also have an impact on people’s health, the report states, adding that “heat-related mortality has increased” especially among the older population.
Another graph shows that the percentage of the population exposed to floods, droughts, storms and the risk of fires in a scenario of increasing temperatures by 2 degrees, would reach more than 75% of the inhabitants in many Spanish regions.
Note that “The frequency and severity of climate-related disasters, such as extreme temperatures, storms, floods or droughts, and wildfires, is increasing” and cites as an example the rains in the border regions between Belgium and Germany in 2021, which caused damage estimated at 34.5 billion euros.
On the other hand, the report focuses on digitalization and reveals that EU regions “have an unequal capacity to use new technologies.”
In this context, remember that the European cohesion policy invested 14 billion euros between 2014 and 2020 to overcome the digital divide, “for example, improving access to e-government and health services and encouraging broadband deployment in remote and rural regions.”
To continue advancing, the EU plans to allocate around 40 billion euros to this goal between 2021 and 2027, with the development of digital skills, technologies and providing access to a faster internet connection in all regions.
The report highlights, on the other hand, the need for the transition towards a climate-neutral economy to be achieved “in a fair and equitable manner.”
Regarding air pollution, it states that air quality improved in both the richest and poorest regions during the period 2007-2020, but that “l“Inequalities persist, since the concentration of fine inhalable particles is consistently around a third higher in the most disadvantaged regions and most dependent on solid fuels for heating.”
Cohesion Policy funding between 2014 and 2020 supported more than 4.4 million businesses, created 370,000 jobs and represented a 13% of total public investment in the EU. Between 2021 and 2027, European funds allocated to this policy amount to 392 billion euros.
It may interest you
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
