In the conference organized in preparation for COP26, many of our researchers presented their work. We retrace here their speeches, which emphasize the close link between risk, climate change and sustainable development and therefore allow us to take the opportunity to present a new PhD curriculum dedicated to these issues
In the penultimate week of May, 2021 was held the conference Climate Exp0 that, in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), gathered scientists from 18 countries to expose the latest thinking and research relevant to addressing climate change. Many of our researchers participated in the conference, bringing their contributions on the topic.
The conference, organized by the COP26 Universities Network and the Rete delle Università per lo Sviluppo sostenibile (Network of Universities for Sustainable Development), was divided into five key themes, to each of which a day of work was dedicated: Green Recovery (May 17th), nature-based solutions (May 18th), mitigation solutions (May 19th), adaptation and resilience (May 20th) and finance (May 21st). Speeches by the CIMA Research Foundation researchers were held on the day dedicated to the topics of Adaptation and Resilience.
Reducing the impact of floods in Europe
During the morning presentations, Lorenzo Alfieri, from the Hydrology and Hydraulics Department, presented a work conducted with colleagues from the JRC of the European Commission and dedicated to adaptation strategies to be put in place to offset rising river flood risk in Europe. It is estimated that in the coming years climate change, combined with an increase in activities in areas at risk of flooding, could lead to losses up to six times greater than today if mitigation and adaptation actions are not implemented.
Specifically, in the study presented, the researchers employed a modeling framework to simulate the implementation of four adaptation strategies. Their results show how implementing retention areas can cost-effectively reduce the impacts of flooding, with an estimated return of four Euros for each Euro invested. In addition, Alfieri explains, restoring natural wetlands and floodplains to retain excess water would also improve water and ecosystem status.
The CIMA Research Foundation project in Africa
The afternoon session then saw a presentation by our Program Director Lauro Rossi, who talked about the work carried out by CIMA Research Foundation as part of the ACP program “Building Disaster Resilience to Natural Hazards in Sub-Saharan African Regions, Countries and Communities“, financed by EU, through the UNDRR. Flood and drought impacts are already among the major threats in the African continent and can intensify even more in future due to climate change and unplanned urbanization, contributing to food insecurity, population displacement and stress on water resources. Under this lens, flood and drought risk profiles were created for 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The profiles are based on a comprehensive impact-based modelling framework that provides a quantification of the flood and drought risk in the current and future climate, considering both climate projections and those related to socio-economic development. This tool enables decision makers to identify critical issues and test and implement adaptation actions, with the ultimate goal of guiding sustainable development policies.
From water resources to flood risk management
Finally, two posters by our researchers were presented at the conference. Francesco Avanzi, from the Hydrology and Hydraulics Department, brought the results of a study conducted with colleagues from Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley and the Centro Funzionale of Aosta Valley. The work is dedicated to quantify the impacts of global warming on water supply, glaciers and snow (which represent a fundamental water reserve). From the scenario obtained through modeling, the researchers show that significant changes in the cryosphere can be expected in the future, which in turn can result in shifts in the seasonality of river flow. In other words, the seasonal freshet fed by snow and glacier melt may come earlier and be reduced in the summer and fall, with a consequent extension of the low-flow period; in addition, the results suggest that there may be an increase in the frequency of exceedance of flood warning thresholds in the basins. Together, this information helps provide a scientific basis for formulating regional adaptation policies.
In another poster, Lucia Mortara, from our Planning and Procedures Department, told about the work to develop an innovative methodology to improve flood risk mapping and at the same time enhancing resilience to climate change. These goals are achieved through the reinforcing of early warning systems at the local level with anticipatory approach. The integration of experts and non-experts knowledge and the active involvement of local stakeholders provides the opportunity to define specific protocols able to respond to not yet predictable events, but also to improve risk knowledge on the territory and to enhance community capacity to cope with adverse effects (coping capacity), to adapt (adaptive capacity) and to transform (transformative capacity) according to ongoing and future changes and challenges.
The contributions offered by CIMA Research Foundation researchers at the Climate Exp0 conference highlight how closely intertwined are the issues of climate change, risk and sustainable development.
A PhD curriculum between climate and risk
In this sense, we take this opportunity to present a new PhD curriculum of the University of Genoa, born this year in agreement with CIMA Research Foundation, which will ensure the contribution in terms of teaching and operational and scientific facilities and will fund two scholarships.
Entitled Risk, Climate Change and Sustainable Development, the curriculum is part of the PhD program “Security, Risk and Vulnerability”. The research topics covered within the curriculum aim to address the issue of risk prevention in a horizontal manner, adding the social, political and economic dimensions to the purely technical dimension. In particular, two lines of research have been proposed: Flood risk assessment in a changing environment, which aims to initiate an innovative approach to risk assessment, and Weather extremes forecasting and AI, aimed at improving the workflow of weather forecasting in support of warning systems.
“With this curriculum, the University of Genoa offers an important opportunity for studies related to risk mitigation and prevention: it allows, in fact, to place them in the broader context of sustainable development,” comments Luca Ferraris, president of CIMA Research Foundation and coordinator of the curriculum Risk, Climate Change and Sustainable Development. “The goal in the medium term is to network the curriculum with foreign universities for the award of a joint or double or multiple doctoral degree. Among the goals, therefore, we also have the ability to create new collaborations and synergies, which are at the heart of sustainable development”.