'Climate change adaptation' means the process of adjustment to actual and expected climate change and its impacts (Article 2(6) of the Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (Taxonomy Regulation)).

 

The scope of this term is explained in Recital 25 and Article 11 of the Taxonomy Regulation.

 

The above provisions explain that economic activity that pursues the environmental objective of climate change adaptation should contribute substantially to reducing or preventing the adverse impact of the current or expected future climate, or the risks of such adverse impact, whether on that activity itself or on people, nature or assets.

That environmental objective should be interpreted in accordance with relevant Union law and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

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Taxonomy Regulation

Article 11

Substantial contribution to climate change adaptation

1. An economic activity shall qualify as contributing substantially to climate change adaptation where that activity:

(a) includes adaptation solutions that either substantially reduce the risk of the adverse impact of the current climate and the expected future climate on that economic activity or substantially reduce that adverse impact, without increasing the risk of an adverse impact on people, nature or assets; or

(b) provides adaptation solutions that, in addition to satisfying the conditions set out in Article 16, contribute substantially to preventing or reducing the risk of the adverse impact of the current climate and the expected future climate on people, nature or assets, without increasing the risk of an adverse impact on other people, nature or assets.

2. The adaptation solutions referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1 shall be assessed and ranked in order of priority using the best available climate projections and shall, at a minimum, prevent or reduce:

(a) the location-specific and context-specific adverse impact of climate change on the economic activity; or

(b) the potential adverse impact of climate change on the environment within which the economic activity takes place.

3. The Commission shall adopt a delegated act in accordance with Article 23 to:

(a) supplement paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article by establishing technical screening criteria for determining the conditions under which a specific economic activity qualifies as contributing substantially to climate change adaptation; and

(b) supplement Article 17 by establishing, for each relevant environmental objective, technical screening criteria for determining whether an economic activity in respect of which technical screening criteria have been established pursuant to point (a) of this paragraph causes significant harm to one or more of those objectives.

4. Prior to adopting the delegated act referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article, the Commission shall consult the Platform referred to in Article 20 regarding the technical screening criteria referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.

5. The Commission shall establish the technical screening criteria referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article in one delegated act, taking into account the requirements of Article 19.

6. The Commission shall adopt the delegated act referred to in paragraph 3 by 31 December 2020, with a view to ensuring its application from 1 January 2022.

Recital 25

An economic activity that pursues the environmental objective of climate change adaptation should contribute substantially to reducing or preventing the adverse impact of the current or expected future climate, or the risks of such adverse impact, whether on that activity itself or on people, nature or assets. That environmental objective should be interpreted in accordance with relevant Union law and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.