Addressing climate change. Risk management experiences in the Valencian Community and perspectives of new planning paradigms for more resilient and sustainable territories

Addressing global warming and climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. The European Union has long pursued climate mitigation and adaptation policies with the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Despite considerable efforts and resources mobilized at various governmental levels, increasingly frequent and severe climate-related disasters continue to affect territories and cities across Europe, as exemplified bu the recent floods of 2024 in the Valencian Community, Spain. This event caused significant damage and numerous victims, even though many affected Valencian municipalities had already adopted a Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) to address mitigation and adaptation challenges. This study argues that these tools are not sufficiently robust or effective, particularly with regard to risk assessment methodologies and the timing and implementation of planned actions. As a result, the proposed adaptation actions measures may fail to enhance resilience. The objective of this study is to conduct a critical analysis of the SECAPs of selected municipalities in the Valencian Community that were affected by recent floods. Using a qualitative approach and advanced analytical frameworks, the study aims to identify key shortcomings and propose alternative, more flexible urban planning paradigms to enable coordinated, effective, and equitable climate adaptation.