The devastating floods in 2021 caused economic losses of €46 billion in Europe alone; 45% of the EU was under drought warning by mid-July 2022; freshwater biodiversity loss is plummeting, with a 93% decline of migratory fish in Europe. Approximately 20% of European cities are classified as being vulnerable to river floods. In the UK and the EU, river flooding causes an annual damage of €7.6 billion per year and exposes approximately 166,000 people per year to inundation.