Climate change is increasingly acknowledged within the EU’s integrated approach to security. The related environmental degradation is recognised as a threat multiplier and an aggravating factor for political instability with serious implications for peace and security worldwide.
The overall objective of CENTAUR was to respond to societal challenges deriving from climate change threats by developing and testing new service components for the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) and Copernicus Security Service – Support to EU External Action service (CSS – SEA).
Overall, the project aimed to contribute to the better functioning of the two Copernicus services by:
- Improving situational awareness and preparedness around climate change and its impact on complex emergencies and multi-dimensional security crises;
- Anticipating the occurrence and possible knock-on effects of crisis events, contributing to resilience and effective adaptation;
- Providing an early warning system which generates alerts when pre-established thresholds for crisis indicators are reached.
CENTAUR comprised both an “Urban Flood” and a “Water and Food Security” component.
- In the former, the project aimed at developing a prototype urban flood layer for the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) map viewer and at improving early warning and mapping capacities within the CEMS with regard to the extent and impact of urban floods.
- In the latter, it aimed at enriching the current CSS – SEA portfolio by integrating new vulnerability and fragility indices and improving early warning capacities and pro-active geo-intelligence services for spotting the early signs of social unrest and population movements in connection with food and water insecurity.