Soil is a non-renewable resource essential for life existence. During the last decades it has been threatened by accelerating erosion with negative consequences for the environment and the economy. The aim of the current study was to assess soil loss changes in a typical Mediterranean ecosystem of Northern Greece, under climate change. To this end, freely available geospatial data was collected and processed using open-source software package. The widespread RUSLE empirical erosion model was applied to estimate soil loss. Current and future rainfall erosivity were derived from a national scale study considering average weather conditions and RCMs outputs for the medium Representative Concentration Pathway scenario (RCP4.5). Results showed that average rainfall erosivity (R-Factor) was 508.85 MJ mm ha h⁻¹ y⁻¹ while the K-factor ranged from 0.0008 to 0.05 t ha h ha⁻¹ MJ⁻¹ mm⁻¹ and LS-factor reached 60.51. Respectively, C-factor ranged from 0.01 to 0.91 and P-factor ranged from 0.42 to 1. The estimated potential soil loss rates will remain stable for the near future period (2021–2050), while an increase of approximately 9% is expected by the end of the 21th century (2071–2100). The results suggest that appropriate erosion mitigation strategies should be applied to reduce erosion risk. Subsequently, appropriate mitigation measures per Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) categories are proposed. It is worth noting that the proposed methodology has a high degree of transferability as it is based on open-source data.

Soil erosion is a key factor in land degradation across Mediterranean mountain regions, yet comprehensive assessments at the national scale are still uncommon. In this study, the Erosion Potential Method (EPM, Gavrilović method) was applied to 1127 mountainous watersheds of Greece in order to classify their erosion severity through the erosion coefficient (Z). Information on relief, geology and vegetation was combined so that each watershed could be assigned to one of five erosion severity classes. The classification revealed that 53.2% of the watersheds fall into the slight category, while 26.0% are moderate and 16.3% are very slight. Severe cases account for 3.9%, and only 0.5% are classified as excessive, though these few basins are locally very important. The distribution is far from uniform: severe watersheds occur more often in North Peloponnese (EL02), Thessaly (EL08), and the Western Sterea Ellada (EL04). By contrast, Crete (EL13) and the Aegean Islands (EL14) include a relatively greater proportion of watersheds in the moderate category. This variation indicates that erosion risk should not be considered a uniform condition across the country. Even watersheds with low overall Z may contain steep or degraded slopes that act as local hotspots. Consequently, effective management should move beyond country-wide averages and instead focus on the sub-areas that are most exposed and susceptible to erosion.

As the climate crisis is widespread, causing enormous economic loss and fatalities, a comprehensive approach on assessing the resilience of urban areas is urgently needed. Urban areas accommodate 2/3 of the world's population and – due to their prevalence of built infrastructure and sealed surfaces – is especially vulnerable towards climate extremes such as heat or flooding. The past years have shown increasing intensities and frequencies in extremes, which are expected to intensify further due to climate change. Thus, the urban system needs to be transformed in a resilient way, meaning that it is able to cope with the shock of an extreme event, return to a stable state and adapt to changing framework conditions.Resilience indicators are a useful tool for assessing and monitoring different aspects, such as hazard intensities (e.g. indicator maximum rainfall intensity per day), or how well the governance structure are set up to deal with shocks (e.g. % of public meetings dedicated to resilience in the city). Yet, not all indicators suggested by organizations, projects or norms are useful or usable for public authority. Therefore, within ClimEmpower, we compiled a comprehensive list of indicators (~500) covering multiple sectors. These were then discussed and short-listed with regional’ representatives to ensure that the selected indicators cover their needs, as well as – if possible - linked to available data and services.

Southern European countries, particularly those in the Mediterranean region face a disproportionate impact from global warming due to their already hot and arid summer climates. These areas are increasingly experiencing extreme heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and severe fluvial and pluvial flooding, which often result in critical situations and cities struggling to cope with these challenges. In the European project ClimEmpower (climempower.eu), funded under the Horizon Europe program, we are collaborating with local stakeholders in five South-European regions strengthen their capacity to address these pressing climate-related challenges and build resilience for the future. Our primary goal is to support local authorities in addressing climate risks and improving their adaptive capacity. To achieve this, Communities of Practice (CoP) were established to enable knowledge exchange, identify regional needs, and co-create climate-resilient strategies. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we assessed data and climate services, engaged stakeholders to address key challenges, and identified critical gaps alongside methods to address them. A key focus was on developing and refining resilience indicators, ensuring they are actionable and meaningful for local adaptation efforts. Researchers collaborated closely with regional stakeholders through surveys, meetings, and CoP discussions to gather input, identify gaps, and tailor solutions. This partnership integrated scientific expertise with local knowledge and priorities, emphasizing the importance of indicator relevance over quantity. The study concluded that building stakeholder capacity and focusing on effective, context-specific indicators are essential for creating pathways to enhance climate resilience.

Global warming, which has accelerated significantly since 1970, is driving rapid and observable climate change (IPCC AR6 2023). Southern European countries, particularly those in the Mediterranean region, are disproportionately affected due to their already hot and dry summer climates, making them highly vulnerable to rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. Climate change exacerbate the situation, leading to more frequent extreme weather events and critical challenges such as heatwaves, droughts, and both fluvial and pluvial flooding.In the ClimEmpower project[1] [2], funded under the Horizon Europe program, five South-European regions characterized by high climate risk and low adaptive capacity were studied to strengthen climate resilience. To empower these regions, a comprehensive analysis of climate-related data, services, and resilience indicators was conducted and regional partners involved to understand their specific needs and primary climate-related challenges, and to identify critical gaps along with methodologies to address them. A key focus of this inter- and transdisciplinary approach was the development and study of resilience indicators, which are essential for assessing the current state of resilience in these regions and for monitoring progress towards improved resilience over time.This paper presents key findings from the comprehensive analysis of existing datasets and services related to climate hazards, impacts, exposure, and vulnerabilities, as well as gaps identified through collaboration with regional stakeholders. Additionally, an overview of climate change resilience indicators is provided which is based on an extensive analysis of approximately 500 indicators across climate, socio-economic, and governance domains. The analysis reveals an uneven distribution of indicators across different sectors, with a predominant focus on environmental, economic, and governance topics, while critical areas such as water and waste management, food security, and urban planning are notably underrepresented. Significant gaps between available data and indicators for representing region-specific needs were identified, highlighting the importance of prioritizing indicators that are meaningful and actionable for localized adaptation efforts.Concluding, the study demonstrates that not all indicators hold equal relevance across all regions and quality, and relevance should be prioritized over the sheer quantity of indicators. Thus, the emphasis should be placed on indicators with high significance and ability to support the development of region-specific pathways to enhance climate resilience in vulnerable South-European regions, ensuring that resources are directed toward the most critical areas of need. [1] Climempower.eu. ABOUT—ClimEMPOWER. 2023. Available online: https://climempower.eu/about/ (accessed on 9 January 2025). [2] Xekalakis, G.; Lopez, P.M.; Ruiz, M.A.; Tötzer, T.; Kaleta, P.; Karystinakis, K.; Moumtzidou, A.; Forjan, R.; Christou, P.; Anastasiou, C.; et al. User-Driven Climate Resilience Across Southern European Regions. Climate 2025, 13, 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli13010002