What are coastal floods?
Coastal floods occur when seawater inundates the shore, usually due to sea-level rise, storms and cyclones, and are exacerbated by high tides. Flood events can damage urban and industrial areas, infrastructure and natural ecosystems through physical destruction, erosion and salinisation. As sea level rise is increasingly threatening human livelihoods or settlements along the coasts across Europe, the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change addresses sea level rise in several aspects. In 2024, the First European Report on Sea Level Rise was published. It includes a comprehensive assessment of projected sea-level rise, its impacts, adaptation strategies, and policy recommendations.
Climate Adaptation Actions & Resources
Step 1: Understand your climate risk
Start by understanding your flood risks with data maps and tools:
This IPCC/NASA Tool allows users to explore sea-level projections through to 2150 for many coastal cities.
Sea level rise and coastal flood risk map
An interactive tool that highlights areas at risk from sea level rise and coastal flooding.
A tool that shows when different coastal cities are expected to reach specific sea level rise thresholds.
Allows you to quickly assess the risk of coastal flooding in your area by simply typing your location name.
Step 2: Explore what others are doing
Explore how other regions or local communities are responding to the challenges of coastal flooding.
 Erik Kralj Potential for green space upgrading: Small publicly accessible park with a dislocated wellhead | Promoting coastal climate adaptation and heritage In Slovenia, Piran’s old historic town centre is restoring degraded landscapes and dry-stone walls. |
 Walkway allowing guided visitor access to the dunes in Cascais and protecting valuable habitats Cascais Ambiente | Rehabilitating biodiversity at the Guincho-Cresmina dune system to restore ecological balance. |
Find these and many other examples through case studies and adaptation stories.
Step 3: Implement concrete actions
Start planning concrete actions to address your city´s unique challenges.
Adaptation will be more successful if timely measures consider the long-term sea-level rise. The EU database contains approaches to reduce the impacts of sea-level rise, including a cost-benefit analysis, implementation-related legal considerations, and case study examples, such as:
 The Mose System Claudia Ombrelli, Thetis SpA | Storm surge gates and flood barriers Permanent structures that allow water to flow under normal conditions, but can be closed during storm surges or high tides to prevent flooding. |
 Vegetated coastal cliff, Capri Island, Italy Claudia Ombrelli | Cliff stabilisation of coastal reefs Involves a combination of “grey” measures, such as cliff reshaping or profiling, or cliff drainage, as well as “green” measures such as littoral strip reloading or re-vegetation. |
 Wave-damping structure in Ostende https://www.afdelingkust.be/en/master-plan-for-coastal-safety | Integrating climate change adaptation into coastal zone management plans Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is an acknowledged process to deal with current and long-term coastal challenges, including climate change. |
Step 4: Assess planned actions
Assess the effectiveness of your planned actions.
Use the Coastal Hazard Wheel Map to classify coastal locations and suggest suitable management measures.
Step 5: Find funding opportunities
Find the right funding sources for your needs.
Access information on funding sources from EU institutions, agencies, and Member States in the Mission Portal´s funding database to support your flood adaptation strategies.
Step 6: Download the Quick Guide for Coastal Flooding
Coastal floods occur when seawater inundates the shore, usually due to sea level rise, storms and cyclones, and are worsened by high tide. Flood events can damage urban and industrial areas, infrastructure and natural ecosystems through physical destruction, erosion and salinisation. Download this quick guide to learn more about the concrete solutions to tackle coastal flooding in your region.
Major coastal flooding in recent years
2019-2023
Venice, Italy, continues to experience regular coastal flooding or “acqua alta”, bringing attention to the effectiveness of its MOSE barrier system.
2023-2024
The UK, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany experienced severe coastal flooding due to intense winter storms that resulted in evacuations and infrastructure damage.
Intermittent
Other intermittent coastal flooding occurred in the North Sea region, including Belgium and northern France, and parts of the Baltic Sea coastline.