Climate change

Objectives

Climate change is the greatest global challenge humanity has faced since its origins. Our growing greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for global warming and the triggering of a set of phenomena that puts at risk food security, health and our planet’s biodiversity.  


Because of this we work on (1) the study of the bases of climate change to understand the undergoing changes, their origins and consequences, (2) the analysis of its impacts, of vulnerability and the risks to which we are exposed and (3) the search for adaptation and mitigation measures.  

Areas of expertise

  1. Bases of climate change: direct observations, past reconstructions, trends, projections and climate modelling, which address both the atmosphere and the ocean, the cryosphere and the biosphere, from the global to the urban scale, including teleconnections, biogeochemical cycles and natural climate drivers.
  2. Impacts, vulnerability and adaptation: risks related to the atmosphere or climate, both on-going and historical; availability of freshwater, energy and food resources; terrestrial and marine ecosystems; human and animal health; social and economic aspects of risk and adaptation; analysis of perception, communication and education on climate change; application of citizen science, sustainable development, equality and justice, and impact on human settlements, infrastructures and different economic sectors, security and migration, and legal framework.  
  3. Mitigation: greenhouse gas emissions, capture and conversion solutions, energy efficiency, technological and material innovation, social aspects, development and cooperation pathways, circular economy, forest management, legal pathways and national and sub-national policies.  

Research Lines

  • Analysis of trends in climate, geological and biophysical variables, and future projections.  
  • Biological anthropology.  
  • Assessment of public policies for the mitigation of climate change, adaptation of current law regulations to the requirements of sustainability and the circular economy.  
  • Capture and conversion of greenhouse gases.  
  • Human and social behaviour, perception, communication strategies of climate change to better understand and influence the creation of new values, behaviours and habits. 
  • Pollution and human, animal and planetary health.  
  • Development of sustainable materials from industrial waste and by-products.  
  • Determination of the seabed morphology and the geological and oceanographic processes linked to past climate changes.  
  • Climate dynamics, atmospheric teleconnections (ENSO, NAO, etc.) and climate modelling.  
  • Blue economy, optimal management of water and natural resources, mathematical economics and dynamic game theory.  
  • Creation of biodiversity and natural hazards databases.  
  • Computational and Bayesian statistics applied to the study of biodiversity, bioinformatics and clinical analysis.  
  • Study of the cryosphere and its response to present and past climate changes: evolution of sea and continental ice.  
  • Adaptive management in different agricultural, pasture and forestry scenarios.  
  • Climate change impact on the carbon cycle of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.  
  • Impact of past natural climate changes on sedimentary systems.   
  • Distribution models of different plant species: past, present, future and extremes impact.  
  • Citizen participation, application of citizen science for the measurement of pollutants, meteorological extremes and variables.  
  • Seasonal predictions and development of climate services as an adaptation measure.  
  • Paleoclimate reconstructions, environmental history and repercussions of historical climate events (e.g. the Little Ice Age). 
  • Natural risks (fires, storms, floods, droughts, avalanches): analysis, prevention, and mitigation considering hazard, vulnerability and exposure. Application of GIS analysis, methodologies, LiDAR data, photogrammetry, etc.  

  • Tourism: impacts of climate change, adaptation of the sector and contribution to mitigation.  

Coordination

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​María del Carmen Llasat Botija is Professor of Atmospheric Physics in the Department of Applied Physics of the University and
coordinator of the ​​​​​​​Meteorology Section, within which she directs the Analysis of Adverse Meteorological Situations Group (GAMA). Her research focuses on improving the knowledge, prevention and mitigation of meteorological risks in the context of climate and environmental change, from a holistic perspective and within a framework of interdisciplinary collaboration. Similarly, she carries out an intense activity of dissemination and raises awareness of natural risks and sustainable development though conferences, courses and interventions in the media.  
 

Contact mcarmenllasatb@ub.edu ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​​​​​I​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​sabel Cacho is a specialist in the study of climate change with a central focus on the interaction between the ocean and theIsabel Cacho Lascorz atmosphere. Her teaching activity has focused on the analysis of the ocean in the face of current climate change, contextualizing it with past climate changes. Her research focuses on the application of geochemical techniques to understand the dynamics of the ocean and atmosphere during past climate changes induced by natural factors. Much of her activity has focused on the climatic variability of the Mediterranean and its relationship with North Atlantic circulation.  
 
Contact icacho@ub.edu​