Years of Warnings, Persistent Vulnerability

Despite more than 30 years of official climate warnings, adaptation strategies, and risk mapping, Catalonia continues to face severe consequences from heavy rainfall events, raising questions about the implementation of long-standing plans.

The Mediterranean climate, characterised by prolonged droughts followed by intense precipitation, has been well documented since at least 1990, when the first major IPCC report was published. Catalonia began its own climate assessment in 2002, finalising it in 2004. Since then, multiple strategies and legal frameworks have been introduced, including the 2012 Catalan Strategy for Adapting to Climate Change (ESCACC), the 2017 Climate Change Act (Llei 16/2017), and the 2023 update extending adaptation planning to 2030.

According to the Generalitat, the 2023 strategy includes 312 specific measures aimed at improving resilience across sectors such as water management, urban planning, and emergency response.

Gaps Between Policy and Infrastructure

Yet, when heavy rains hit, the impact often resembles what critics describe as a "colonial expedition discovering the Mediterranean", a repeated cycle of shock and emergency response rather than sustained adaptation.

Experts point to a disconnect between the abundance of reports, PDFs, and interdepartmental commissions and the actual state of infrastructure. Drainage systems, retention basins, permeable surfaces, and riverbed maintenance are key components of climate adaptation, yet many urban areas remain vulnerable due to construction in flood-prone zones and insufficient maintenance.

"You can’t wait for a kitchen fire before installing extinguishers. We know extreme rainfall will happen, why aren’t we prepared?"

The Maresme region, with its long experience of seasonal river flooding, illustrates how continuous maintenance and territorial memory can reduce risk. There, towns have maintained channels and developed protocols through repeated exposure. Elsewhere in Catalonia, similar risks are still treated as surprises.

Accountability for Public Investment

Over the past decades, public revenues, from taxes, EU funds, and climate-specific budgets, have increased. The Climate Change Act provides for a dedicated climate fund supported by environmental taxation and emissions auction revenues. But transparency on how much has been spent on physical adaptation remains limited.

Critics ask: How much of the budget has gone towards implementing the 312 measures in the current strategy? Which planned projects have been delayed or cancelled? And why, with so many risk maps and action plans, are communities still caught off guard?

The Agència Catalana de l'Aigua confirms that the 2012 ESCACC strategy was updated in 2023 to cover the 2021–2030 horizon, with a focus on water cycle resilience. However, execution timelines and funding allocations for individual measures are not always publicly accessible.

Next Steps for Resilience

  • Review of flood risk maps and urban development permits in vulnerable areas
  • Accelerated investment in stormwater retention and drainage infrastructure
  • Public audit of climate fund expenditures since 2017
  • Strengthened enforcement of building restrictions in floodplains

Residents and local authorities are urged to consult the official Catalan Strategy for Adapting to Climate Change 2021–2030 for detailed guidance on regional and municipal actions.

Primary sources: govern.cat, Agència Catalana de l'Aigua, Departament de Medi Ambient, diba.cat, Generalitat de Catalunya, canviclimatic.gencat.cat. Reported by racocatala.cat, Departament d'Edicions del Parlament de Catalunya, revistes.urv.cat, elnacional.cat, plet.cat, exa.ai, catalunyaeuropa.eu, elperiodico.com, Racó Català.