Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Professor at the Central European University and Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was a guest on the programme "Climate Future" with Tea Blazevic.

She spoke about the recent floods in Central and Eastern Europe, which have caused significant loss of life and destruction. These floods were caused by a slow-moving low pressure system that brought heavy rainfall and caused the worst flooding in the region in over 20 years.

Vorsatz emphasised that although individual weather events cannot be directly linked to climate change, the increasing frequency and intensity of such events are a consequence of climate change.

Global warming could reach 3°C by the end of the century

According to Ürge-Vorsatz, infrastructure across Europe is not adapted to the new climate conditions. While engineers have designed the infrastructure for events that used to occur once in a century, such events are now occurring much more frequently and are becoming even more extreme.

In light of this, governments are reluctant to allocate funds for adaptation because such events were not common in the past. However, as extreme weather events continue to intensify, rapid adaptation and investment is needed.

Looking to the future, Vorsatz warned that according to reports such as “United in Science”, it is very likely that global warming could reach 3°C by the end of the century.

Cities must become more resilient

This would mean a dramatic increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and other extreme weather events, especially in Europe, which is warming faster than the rest of the world. Vorsatz emphasised that immediate action is needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

As solutions, Ürge-Vorsatz suggested reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting infrastructure to better withstand such events.

Cities need to become more resilient through measures such as planting more trees, reducing paved surfaces and creating “sponge cities” that can absorb large amounts of rainwater. These measures would not only reduce the risk of flooding, but also improve the quality of life in cities.

Watch the entire interview in the video above.