ClimaaxNext

ClimaaxNext builds directly on the CLIMAAX project, which laid the groundwork for regional climate risk assessments across Europe through thematic guidance, interoperable Python-based analytical workflows, and cascading funds distributed to 69 regions and communities. With ClimaaxNext, we set a higher ambition, fully aligned with the Mission on Adaptation. We introduce three major innovations. First, we will shift from assistance to empowerment by strengthening local ownership, technical capacity, and community-led innovation, and by expanding the Community of Practice (CoP) into a central forum for the Mission on Adaptation. Second, we will develop the Dynamic Playbook, an integrated knowledge hub that brings together frameworks, workflows, tools, and storymaps in a user-friendly, evolving platform. This will help regions move seamlessly from guidance to application, co-developing risk assessments that reflect their realities. Third, we will bridge the gap between climate risk and disaster risk management by using climate storylines to stress-test key community systems such as health, water security, and landscapes, and to design resilience pathways. With these innovations, ClimaaxNext will deliver the next generation of the regional climate risk assessment framework, toolbox, and Community of Practice. It will enable climate risks to be explored in a systemic and socially just way, while directly connecting insights to adaptation and resilience planning.