Dear EGU Expert,

As usual, this month’s Newsletter highlights some recent updates from the EGU: the opportunity to invite policymakers to EGU26 with free registration, two recent science-policy webinars on connecting with policymakers and responding to autocratisation, as well as the new geopolicy blog post on the first Rights of Nature case in Europe. Finally, it announces two upcoming events in Brussels that are relevant to climate resilience issues, polar science for global action, and AI-based solutions for natural hazards.

If you have any further questions or comments about the policy resources and opportunities that exist for scientists in Europe, don't hesitate to get in touch!

Best wishes,

Science for Policy Team

To help promote knowledge exchange and a culture of evidence-informed policymaking, EGU26 is offering free registration (either on-site or virtual) and abstract submission procedure to European policymakers. We hope that this free registration will enable policymakers to attend scientific sessions that are relevant to the legislation that they are working on and enable them to connect with the research community, share their policy work, and support future opportunities for science-policy engagement.

If you are convening a policy-related session, please consider inviting a policymaker to provide their perspective. You can send the interested policymaker this form to indicate their interest in an EGU26 registration waiver.

Please note that this registration waiver is only available for those who do not conduct geoscience-related research and whose primary function is to establish, implement, or improve European legislation. It does not cover travel expenses. If you are unsure if you or a policymaker who you would like to invite meets the criteria for a free registration, please contact zsanett.papp@egu.eu

In November, EGU hosted two engaging webinars exploring different dimensions of the science-policy interface. These webinars enable us to not only better understand the science-policy landscape with its behavioural dimensions and geopolitical tensions, but also offer us some practical insights on how to make impact.

Beyond Scicomm 101: How to Connect with Policymakers

The webinar, “Beyond Scicomm 101: How To Connect With Policymakers” on 6 November featured Mario Scharfbillig who is leading the Enlightenment 2.0 research programme at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The research programme seeks to provide the interdisciplinary scientific underpinning to optimise the way that evidence is used in policymaking.

During the webinar, Mario presented the report on Values and Identities: A policymaker's guide to explore the deep underpinnings of what people want, and how this is relevant to presenting research findings that resonate with the audience.

How Scientists Can Respond To Autocratisation

On 13 November, psychologist and disinformation expert Stephan Lewandowsky provided an overview of how scientists can respond and safeguard their work in politically hostile environments. The webinar “How Scientists Can Respond to Autocratisation” was based on The Anti-Autocracy Handbook, developed by an international group of researchers that Stephan led.

For those who missed, the recordings for both webinars will soon be available on the Science for Policy playlist on the EGU Youtube Channel!

The “Rights of Nature” paradigm is based on the idea that the Nature possesses inalienable rights, just as humans do. Around the world, various natural entities have been granted legal rights or legal personhood, and this legal innovation was realised in Europe for the first time with the case of the Mar Menor Lagoon in southeastern Spain.

As a result of intensively irrigated agriculture, mining, tourism-driven urbanisation, and inadequate sewage management, the Mar Menor Lagoon faced an ecological crisis triggered by extreme eutrophication events between 2016 and 2021; with 85% of the vegetation being lost and more than five tonnes of dead wish washing ashore.

This month, our Science for Policy Assistant, Damla Posta explores this significant case in a new geopolicy blog post in Geolog. She zooms into the ecological crisis affecting the Lagoon, the popular initiative that led to the recognition of its legal rights, and how the framework functions in practice, including its limitations. She also reflects on what this development could mean for environmental governance in the EU.

Read the full blog post here.

Two upcoming events in Brussels this month and next will bring together scientists and policymakers to discuss pressing issues regarding climate resilience.

Polar Science for Global Action

The event “Polar Science for Global Action – Strengthening Climate Preparedness through EU Leadership” will take place in Brussels on 18 November, Tuesday. Four major EU-funded research projects, PolarRES, CRiceS, PROTECT, and OCEAN ICE, co-organise this event to present their latest findings on how polar environmental change is shaping Europe’s climate, resilience, and security.

The event will foster dialogue between leading scientists and policymakers to identify the measures required to respond to polar environmental change, with a focus on addressing climate risks and strengthening Europe’s resilience, understanding sea-level rise and its impacts, and integrating polar knowledge into EU and global climate decision-making.

The event will be in hybrid format. If you are interested, read more and register here!

Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Commission’s DG ECHO hold an workshop on 11 December in conjunction with the 3rd Meeting of the Global Initiative on Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions on 12 December at the same venue, SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre.

This workshop will bring together state representatives and experts from UN agencies or partners and EU institutions to discuss leveraging AI for better prediction, rapid response, and effective recovery against crises and natural hazards. The event coincides with the launch of the Scientific Advice Mechanism's upcoming report on Artificial Intelligence in Emergency and Crisis Management, offering an evidence-based overview of current AI applications in crisis contexts and frameworks for understanding their risks and opportunities.

More information and pre-registration is available in this link.