Communicating a global climate crisis: if our house is on fire, why haven’t we called the fire brigade…?
Our planet faces its greatest challenge for millennia: us. There is now almost unanimous agreement that humans are having enormous impacts on the natural balance of our planet, with consequences that threaten our own existence and the survival of natural ecosystems alike. The need for drastic change in our behaviour is clear. And yet, the response from political leaders and people in general is weak. Why?
This session will highlight the challenges in communicating climate science and demonstrate ways in which scientific research and evidence can be communicated in a way that is meaningful and persuasive to the public and policymakers alike. This session will demonstrate the most effective ways to communicate issues relating to climate change in a way that makes them relatable.
US4: LIVE 10:45–12:30
New frontiers of multiscale monitoring, analysis, modeling and decisional support of environmental systems
Environmental systems often span spatial and temporal scales covering different orders of magnitude. The session will emphasise the interaction between environmental processes occurring at different scales. Special attention will be devoted to studies focussed on the development of techniques and integrated instrumentation for multiscale monitoring in natural-risk areas, such as volcanic, seismic, energy exploitation, slope instability, floods, coastal instability, climate change and other contexts.
ITS4.5/GI1.4 Text chats 08:30–12:30
Integrating stratigraphy, sedimentology, paleoclimate and human evolution in and out of Africa?
What role did climate dynamics play in human evolution, the dispersal of Homo sapiens within and beyond the African continent, and key cultural innovations? Were dry spells, stable humid conditions, or rapid climate fluctuations the main driver of human evolution and migration? To evaluate the impact that different timescales and magnitudes of climatic shifts may have had on the living conditions of prehistoric humans, we need reliable, continuous reconstructions of paleoenvironmental conditions and fluctuations from the vicinity of paleoanthropological and archaeological sites. Presentations will focus on (geo)archaeology, paleoecology, paleoclimate, stratigraphy and paleoenvironmental reconstructions plus new methods for dealing with difficult archive conditions and dating challenges.
SSP1.9 Text chats Fri 08:30–12:30
Hydro-meteorological extremes and hazards: vulnerability, risk, impacts and mitigation
Extreme hydro-meteorological events drive a number of hydrologic and geomorphic hazards, such as floods, landslides and debris flows, which pose a significant threat to modern societies on a global scale. The continuous increase of population and urban settlements in hazard-prone areas, in combination with evidence of changes in extreme weather events, lead to a continuous increase of the risk associated with weather-induced hazards. To improve resilience and to design more effective mitigation strategies, we need to better understand the aspects of vulnerability, risk, and triggers that are associated with these hazards. This session will highlight hydro-meteorological hazards that address the aspects of vulnerability analysis, risk estimation, impact assessment, mitigation policies and communication strategies and help identify the ways forward for increasing the resilience of communities at local, regional and national scales.
HS7.5 Text chats Fri 16:15–18:00
Managing our mineral resources for a sustainable future: the role of earth scientists
The urgent need to combat climate change requires that we significantly increase use of clean energies and energy storage and decrease our non-energy emissions (e.g., through electric vehicles, better building materials). But the infrastructure needed for the transition to a low-carbon society will require the production and consumption of vast amounts of mineral products, not only the much-publicised critical metals but also more common mineral products like copper, iron and sand. This Great Debate will generate open discussion about our natural resources and our role as Earth Scientists in achieving a more sustainable future.
GDB2: LIVE 14:00–15:00
Space weather and its effects on terrestrial and geo-space environments: science and application
This session will highlight the wide range of the aspects of solar-terrestrial physics that deal with the effects of space phenomena on different levels of geo-space. Effects range from those observed on spacecraft related activities all the way down to Earth and to other Solar System bodies, including impacts on technological systems, human health and life in space, as well as Earth`s climate. This session aims to merge new and existing methods of observations and diagnostics of Solar System habitats and Space Weather services, as LOFAR radio diagnostics and new investigation and application for incoming ESA exploration missions like JUICE and SOLAR ORBITER.
ST4.3 Text chats Fri 16:15–18:00
Imaggeo photo competition winners!
Participants of EGU2020: Sharing Geoscience Online have been voting for their favourites throughout the week, and we are excited to share the winners with you on our blog. Congratulations to this year’s winning photographers!