RESIST: Improve the response to emergencies caused by climate change

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25/01/2023

The Centre of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology (CRAHI) of the UPC participates in the European project RESIST. The aim of this project is to study the use of tools to improve preparation for weather emergencies and thus to increase resilience in the face of climate change

The aim of the RESIST (Regions for climate change resilience through Innovation, Science and Technology) project is to increase the capacity to detect extreme situations and achieve better preparation of society and municipalities so that regions are more resistant to climate change.

The project will adopt a practical framework in which methods for climate adaptation will be tested in four regions of the European Union with varied socioeconomic profiles: the southeast of Finland, the centre of Denmark, Catalonia and the centre of Portugal. Each region will test solutions to adapt to five key climate challenges: floods, droughts, heatwaves, forest fire risk and soil erosion. The project will bring together civil society, companies, political leaders and the research community to work towards future resilience.

The technical knowledge and methods of adaptation will be transferred from the four demonstrating regions to eight twinned regions through activities of mutual learning and immersive digital twins.

In Catalonia it will be studied how to detect the effects of weather risks earlier and there will be a focus on the municipal setting with the required adaptations to the different territorial situations, considering the characteristics of each municipality. Specifically, the most vulnerable activities will be analysed, such as tourism activities and campsites in particular. Thus, through the analysis in real time of phenomena of risk, new regional measures, political instruments and technological solutions will be developed.

Results and expected impact

RESIST will reinforce resilience, accelerate transformation and increase the adaptation capacity of 12 regions of the European Union that are vulnerable to the climate. These solutions will enable an increase in the levels of ecological investment, a reduction in economic losses due to natural risks such as floods and reduce the gap in climate protection. In addition, it will help to get citizens involved to  build more resilience to these environmental disruptions and to boost municipal capacities to face these phenomena caused by climate change.

Cataluña is one of the 12 regions that are participating in this European project, with a total population of 22 million people. The conclusions that are drawn from the demonstrator situated in Catalonia will be shared with the Italian region of Puglia and the Portuguese region of Baixo Alentejo, specifically, on the problems of floods, heat waves and forest fires.

In the framework of RESIST, CRAHI will be in charge of the internal coordination of the Catalonia demonstrator, and the improvement of tools to be able to review past events in terms of data, warnings and emergency management. It will also extend existing Site-Specific Warnings (SSW) in multiple areas and hazards to assist communities in adapting to climate change.

Another step to improve the management of emergencies

The European project RESIST will continue with the improvements made in the European project ANYWHERE. The presence of CRAHI and the company Hyds (spin-off of the centre) in the project, along with the city councils of Terrassa and Blanes, will enable adaptation to municipal settings. As an added value, an aspect of social risk will be incorporated through the CARENET research team of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), to enhance the self-protection capacity of the affected populations.

Consortium, budget and funding

The RESIST project, which is coordinated by SINTEF and in which a total of 55 partners participate, will last five years (January 2023 to December 2027), with a total budget of €26,682,827.75. It will form part of the Adaptation to Climate Change mission of the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The application, in Catalonia, will receive a total budget of 2.5 million euros.

In Catalonia, the partners who form part of the project in addition to the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) are the Directorate General for Civil Protection of the Government of Catalonia’s Interior Ministry, the CARENET research group of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Hyds, Terrassa City Council and Blanes Town Council. The project will be supported by ACCIÓ, the agency for business competitiveness of the Minister of Business and Labour.


 
 


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