EGU’s Policy Priority Area 2022-2024: Biodiversity

In October 2024, the EGU Council approved ‘Climate Hazard and Risk’ as the 2025-2028 Policy Priority Area due to its relevance to many EGU divisions, current and future policy significance, and the need for information and continued scientific support in the creation of new European legislation and initiatives.

2024 was the warmest year on record, with global average surface temperature reaching 1.55°C above the 1850-1900 average, according to the WMO. Europe is the fastest-warming continent on the planet and is experiencing more extreme heat, severe droughts, flooding and forest fires. These increasingly frequent and intense extreme events cause social, economic and environmental damages, threatening water and food security, energy security, and long-term human health. Despite the urgency, Europe’s current policies and implemented adaptation actions will not be enough to mitigate the growing and interconnected impacts.

As Europe’s largest geoscience society, EGU is uniquely positioned to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from research into practice, and to connect policymakers to the most relevant geoscience experts. To facilitate this, and support evidence-informed policymaking, EGU has established the EGU Climate Hazard and Risk Task Force, with 10 selected experts who cover a range of relevant scientific disciplines and skills.

• Elias Symeonakis, Associate Professor in Earth Observation, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Guillaume Dezecache, Directeur de Recherche (Senior Scientist), Sustainability Science at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
• Marie Cavitte, Valorisation Officer for the Climate Team, Water and Climate Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Nivedita Sairam, Young Investigator's Group Leader, GFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum für Geoforschung
• Raffaella Russo, Senior scientist and senior project manager, University of Salerno and ISSNOVA foundation
• Sarah Connors, Climate Applications Scientist at the European Space Agency
• Silvia Torresan, Senior Scientist and Director of the Risk Assessment and Adaptation Strategies Division (RAAS) at the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC)
• Veronica Casartelli, Scientist at the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) and Officer at the Italian Civil Protection Department
• Yasmine D Aktas, Associate Professor of Applied Materials and Structures and Deputy Academic Director of UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings

Co-Chaired by Chloe Hill and Simon Clark

The EGU Climate Hazard and Risk Task Force had their first meeting in May 2025. Future activities, tasks, and initiatives undertaken by the Task Force will be shared here.