The 2nd UB Institutes Conference addresses the challenges of climate change and natural hazards
Climate change caused by human activity is affecting the entire planet and it is a serious threat to both ecosystems and human populations. According to the reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the effects of global warming are altering weather patterns on a global scale ─with episodes of extreme heatwaves, melting ice, rising sea levels, flooding of coastal areas─ and in some cases it has unprecedented consequences. Climate change, with direct or indirect connection to natural disasters, also generates a serious socioeconomic impact worldwide and is one of the great challenges on that requires urgent responses to preserve the conservation of populations, infrastructures and biodiversity.
Climate change caused by human activity is affecting the entire planet and it is a serious threat to both ecosystems and human populations. According to the reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the effects of global warming are altering weather patterns on a global scale ─with episodes of extreme heatwaves, melting ice, rising sea levels, flooding of coastal areas─ and in some cases it has unprecedented consequences. Climate change, with direct or indirect connection to natural disasters, also generates a serious socioeconomic impact worldwide and is one of the great challenges on that requires urgent responses to preserve the conservation of populations, infrastructures and biodiversity.
In this context of global challenges, the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Geography and History will host, on 4 October 2022 at 9:00 a.m., the II UB Institutes Conference under the title "Climate change and natural hazards: transformation and resilience". This initiative aims to create a space for debate and reflection of a cross-sectional and interdisciplinary nature on the serious problem of climate change based on the research carried out by several research institutes of the UB.
The conference, which can be followed live on UBtv, will be opened by the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia.Among the attendants will be the director of the Catalan Water Agency, Samuel Reyes; the secretary of Climate Action of the Catalan Government, Anna Barnadas, and the dean of the Faculty of Geography and History, Ricardo Piqueras. The opening speech, titled "The need for interdisciplinary work for a transformative resilience: natural hazards as an opportunity for change", will be given by María del Carmen Llasat, professor at the Faculty of Physics, head of the Analysis of Adverse Meteorological Situations Group (GAMA), member of the Water Research Institute (IdRA) of the University of Barcelona and distinguished with a Saint Georgeʼs Cross in 2022 for her scientific career in the field of physics and for the study, research and awareness of climate change and natural hazards.
Climate change, sustainable agriculture and epidemics
The conference will feature the participation of experts Lothar Schulte, from the Research Group on Paleoecology, Natural Hazards and Environmental Management (PaleoRisk) and the Institute of Archaeology (IAUB) of the UB, with the talk "Climate change, floods and heritage sites. The relevance of paleoflood research for heritage management in Alpine and Betic basins"; Javier Martín-Vide, from the Climatology Group of the UB and the Water Research Institute (IdRA), will participate with "Evolució recent de les variables tèrmiques i pluviomètriques des de lʼescala global a la ibèrica i la local"; Olga Margalef, from the Earth and Ocean Dynamics Innovation Group and the Geomodels Research Institute, will speak about "El permafrost i les conseqüències de la seva degradació a nivell planetari"; Ignasi Ribas, from the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), will participate with "Influència de les variacions solars sobre el clima i el seu registre històric".
Then, Francesc Viñes, from the Computational Science Materials Laboratory and the Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry (IQTC), will participate with "Novel Carbon Capture, Storage, and Use Technologies from First Principles Calculations"; Teresa Andreu, from the Thermal Projection Center and the Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB), will speak about " CO2 upcycling: solucions sostenibles des de la química per prescindir dels combustibles fòssil"; Marta Giralt, from the Research Group of Genetics and Molecular Biology of Mitochondrial Proteins and Associated Pathologies and the Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), will focus on "El canvi climàtic: potenciador de l'epidèmia global dʼobesitat?"; Joan Romanyà, from the Plant and Soil Mechanisms Research Group and the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA-UB), will speak on "Lʼagricultura del carboni: adaptació de la producció dʼaliments al canvi climàtic”.
From economic policies to land management
Jofre Carnicer, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), will participate with "Canvi climàtic i ecologia: dels informes globals de lʼ'IPCC a la recerca dels impactes a la Mediterrània"; Mònica Serrano, from the Research Group on Jobs, Institutions and Gender and the Barcelona Economic Analysis Team (BEAT), will give the talk "Diferents perspectives sobre la responsabilitat de les emissions"; Jordi Teixidó, from the Governments and Markets Research Group and the Institute for Research on Applied Regional and Public Economics (IREA), will participate with "Polítiques econòmiques del canvi climàtic", and Maria Teresa Vadrí, from the Mediterranean Environmental Research Group (GRAM) and the TransJus Research Institute, will speak on "Ordenació del territori i gestió del risc: una perspectiva jurídica".The 2nd UB Institutes Conference will be closed by the vice-rector for Research, Jordi Garcia-Fernàndez, and the rector's delegate for the research institutes, Mercè Pallàs.
The 2nd UB Institutes Conference is promoted by an organizing committee built by the experts Jordi Alberch, director of the Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro); Miguel Angel Cau, director of the Institute of Archaeology (IAUB); Albert Díaz-Guilera, director of the Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS); Cristina González, director of the UB Legal Research Institute (TransJus); Joaquim Ortega, director of the Institute of Mathematics (IMUB); and Francesc Xavier Sans, former director of the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio).
About the UB research institutes
The University of Barcelona has eighteen research institutes of its own, four of which have received the María de Maeztu accreditation of excellence, awarded by the former Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The UB research institutes promote and carry out interdisciplinary and specialized research activities in various fields of science, technology, social sciences, humanities and the arts. They all conduct competitive research, carry out innovation projects and promote the transfer of research results to society.