Climate observation systems ranked the years 2020, 2022, 2019, 2015 and 2014 as the five hottest of the last four decades in Europe.

According to SUDOE, 2022 was the hottest year since 1950. Data on groundwater quality, vulnerability to climate change and the adaptive capacity of territories are heterogeneous, contributing to exacerbating the economic gap. Migratory movements can amplify the pressure on water resources and the economy.

The ThermEcoWat project focuses on the recovery and resilience of the fragile thermal spring ecosystem, whose use is fundamental to the economy. The exploitation of the properties of the hot springs is at the origin of the development of many cities.

The ThermEcoWat consortium believes that this natural heritage should be preserved, anticipating future tensions in small communities, where the difficulties of the agricultural economy, due to the climate, can be cushioned by the sustainable tourism industry and by green energies. The long-term decrease in precipitation expected in the SUDOE, can alter the natural properties of the hot springs, affecting their anthropic ecosystem. There is no data to assess the impact of climate change, nor an adaptation strategy method to anticipate its socio-economic consequences. Thermal energy could be better harnessed. Technologies that use low-temperature geothermal resources, and heat storage, can contribute to the development of a decarbonised, thermal-based economy without compromising its current use. The ecological hot springs of SUDOE, respectful of the environment, are renewable energies without the inconveniences of deep geothermal energy.

The ThermEcoWat project aims to produce transversal actions between scientists, public authorities and economic actors, in order to provide collaborative governance tools for better coordination in the use of thermal sources, stimulating the valorisation of endogenous resources.