Thematic Topics

1. Stepping Up Climate Action: Support Through Climate Platforms and Services

Climate services, including web-based climate adaptation platforms, play a critical role in equipping Europeans towards adapting well and becoming more climate resilient. A particular challenge is continually improving the quality (relevance, usability, accessibility and legitimacy) of knowledge, resources and data. We aim to learn from those available and being used, as demand, supply and technologies evolve. What progress are we making and how do we enable and sustain the required evolution to address this challenge, thereby inspiring and better supporting smarter, faster and systemic climate action? 

2. Adaptation Responses to Sea Level Rise and Coastal Change

The multidirectional and complex impacts of rising sea levels call for a variety of adaptation responses which can be infrastructure solutions such as seawalls and dikes, but also coastal wetlands and dune restoration. Relocation of people and infrastructure from flood-prone areas will have to be considered in Europe, as in other parts of the world, along with social and economic aspects. Community engagement and education are therefore crucial in finding adequate solutions to raise awareness about sea level rise impacts. We will enable dialogue among stakeholders around the best available science to jointly explore solutions that cannot be ‘one-size-fits-all’. It is essential to consider potential unintended consequences as well as the equity implications of different options.

3. Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation

Biodiversity-climate change interaction is strong, bi-directional and often positive(actions in favour of one also benefit the other). So-called ‘nature-based solutions’ (NbS)can limit climate change while preserving biodiversity. NbS often have an important roleto play in adapting to impacts of climate change in particular geographic context and onspecific aspects of planning/implementation. This theme will involve researchers,practitioners, policy makers and civil society; it will question environmental, economicand social benefits of NbS and exchange best practices to promote NbS researchimpact and knowledge transfer towards policy and society.

4. Preparing for More Frequent and Severe Climate Extremes

As extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity across Europe, appropriate knowledge, tools and institutional arrangements are needed for assessing future hazards, planning for adaptation and developing effective climate risk management systems. Because of the large impacts on human health, ecosystems and the economy, extreme events connect with people’s episodic memory leaving tangible marks in populations, policy makers, and economic agents. How is Europe making progress in understanding how extreme events, their consequences and required responses may look like under possible climate change futures?

5. Reframing Societal Transformation by Challenging Underlying Assumptions

Many obstacles block true societal transformation to a climate-resilient future. They are often driven by underlying assumptions found in many spaces (civil society, public/private sector, politics, etc.) Our aim is to use a systemic approach and to analyse them through a deliberate lens. We will question the elementary function of society and rethink it and open space for discussion of novel ideas and approaches. We call on social sciences, arts and humanities to imagine a different future, act beyond the framework that conditions us, mobilizing interpretive dimension as much as creative and transformative potential to anticipate innovative behaviours.

6. Climate and Social Resilience of Future Energy Infrastructure and Systems

Energy systems need to be resilient to future climate conditions as well as to societal and economic demand. The war in Ukraine has placed the societal and economic resilience of the energy system in stark focus, as well as the challenges of energy transition. Hence, the complexity of energy transition and the interlinked social implications have been tested. This has emphasized that the transition to clean energy is a matter of great cost, time and space. How can we ensure the production, storage and transport of clean, affordable energy in Europe, whilst maintaining our economy and standard of living which are both highly dependent on energy use? Through a variety of activities we want to explore and exchange knowledge and views on concrete adaptation solutions based on the best available knowledge.