European Commission logo
Energy, Climate change, Environment

EMODnet at the Pan-European Sea Level Rise Conference 2022

News article |
Sea Level Rise Conference in Venice, Italy

On 17 and 18 October 2022, ocean stakeholders gathered in Venice, Italy for the first edition of the Sea Level Rise Conference . The gathering was the result of the implementation of the first phase of a joint effort between JPI Oceans and JPI Climate to create the Knowledge Hub on Sea Level Rise, a networking platform promoting the generation, synthesis, exchange and integration of knowledge on local, regional and global, historic and future sea level rise. It is currently supported by nine JPI member countries and composed of a network of pan-European experts on sea level rise.  With endorsement by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, this was an opportunity to bring together scientists, stakeholders and policy makers and debate on sea level change in Europe.

The Knowledge Hub on Sea Level Rise focuses on regional to local sea level changes in Europe and the needs and involvement of policy making and coastal planning. The platform will facilitate the interaction between research and policy professionals with different disciplinary backgrounds and expertise by assessing and communicating recent scientific and socio-economic developments at an aggregation level adjusted to ongoing themes and debates in policy and public arenas.

The aim of the conference was to assess the available and required scientific knowledge on regional-local sea level change in Europe. Through a diverse set of keynotes, panels, and other sessions, the conference placed the involvement of policy making and coastal planning at the center of exchanges on regional to local sea level changes in Europe.

Jan-Bart Calewaert, Head of the EMODnet Secretariat participated as the as Co-leader of the Task Group on Communication whose focus is to advise on matters related to communication, stakeholder engagement and dissemination of outputs in order to further promote the outputs and key messages of the Knowledge Hub on Sea Level Rise. In his closing speech, Mr. Calewaert stressed the importance of including sufficient consultations and feedback loops in the development of output materials of the platform, in particular the Assessment Report, to help bridge the knowledge gaps among stakeholders and produce useful information that can be taken up and applied by decision makers at the local and regional level.

Also present, on a panel that took stock of existing capability, reviewing contributions to knowledge agendas, and discussing future formats for the main activities that are currently underway, was Dr. Antonio Novellino Research Manager at ETT and Coordinator of EMODnet Physics. He explained the importance of EMODnet contribution of open, free and harmonised data and data products to the Sea-level Rise Knowledge Hub, mobilising the expertise of the EMODnet community, which together with Copernicus Marine Service provides the back-bone for the European marine data space.       

Media

Sea Level Rise Conference in Venice, Italy
Sea Level Rise Conference in Venice, Italy (© Knowledge Hub on Sea Level Rise)