Bridging Gaps, Building Resilience: Climate Adaptation Challenges and Innovations in Catalonia

Catalonia is a region marked by both vulnerability and innovation in the face of climate change. We spoke with the Coastal demo site leader, Queralt Plana Puig, to better understand how local authorities are responding to increasing environmental pressures, what challenges persist, and which solutions are the most promising. Storm Gloria left lasting lessons. Catalonia responded with bold adaptation strategies and a clear commitment to resilience.

According to the European Committee of the Regions, 90% of climate change adaptation measures are undertaken by local and regional authorities. Looking at your own region, do you think the local authorities have the resources to implement these measures? What do you think they are missing?

QP: “Local authorities are often under-resourced. While there is strong technical willpower, they lack long-term funding, stable governance frameworks, and sufficient technical support. Municipal environmental technicians are overloaded, and coordination across levels of government is weak. There’s a clear need for continuity, empowerment, and integration with Catalonia’s climate governance model.”

Have locals, policy-makers or businesses generally become more vocal about changes in their environment due to climate change?

QP: “Yes, but unevenly. Scientific communication is improving, and there’s growing public interest, especially after events like Storm Gloria. However, trust in institutions is fragile, and many still feel disconnected. There’s a call for broader engagement like bringing in social entities, cultural sectors, and businesses to reflect the social impacts of climate change more clearly.”

You have been developing climate adaptation packages in the project. Is there one measure that has stood out to you, or that you’re most proud of?

QP: “Yes, the development of mixed solution routes seems to stand out. This means for example combining nature-based and engineered solutions for coastal areas. These packages reflect technical innovation, are socially informed, and were co-developed with institutions from academia, technical centres and municipalities. They balance environmental, social, and economic trade-offs while enhancing resilience. Nevertheless, stakeholders still feel that political will and governance frameworks are too weak to implement them successfully.”

Throughout the project, you collaborated with partners from the six other demonstration sites. Were you surprised to find any problem (or solution) that was common to another demo site?

QP: “Absolutely. Governance fragmentation and communication gaps emerged as shared obstacles. Similarly, the importance of integrating technical and local knowledge, and of empowering local actors, was a recurring theme. The recognition that climate solutions need to be both technically sound and socially relevant was universal.”

What are the next steps for your demo site, and for your research?

QP: “The next steps include continued co-creation and co-validation workshops, sharing results through broader platforms, and embedding our work into regional policy. Strengthening the technical table and scaling up communication and training tools are also high priorities.”

It’s five years on Storm Gloria, which caused widespread flooding in Catalonia in 2020. Do you think that has changed how Catalan society approaches climate change mitigation?

QP: “Yes, it served as a wake-up call. There’s more awareness, but also frustration due to slow institutional response. It catalysed discussions on coastal vulnerability and adaptation but hasn’t fully translated into political continuity or comprehensive action. It underscored the urgency of aligning technical evidence with legislative and societal momentum.”

As Catalonia continues its efforts to embed climate adaptation into policy and practice, the road ahead demands stronger governance, broader engagement, and sustained political will. IMPETUS proves that innovation works best when it matters to people – but lasting change still takes a shared effort. We look forward to seeing how this demo-site continues to co-create, communicate, and lead within the wider European climate resilience community.