According to the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report (IPCC SR1.5, 2018) global warming is likely to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate. Climate-related risks for natural and human systems are higher for global warming of 1.5°C than at present.There are a wide range of adaptation options that can reduce the risks of climate change. International experts, researchers, policymakers and practitioners focusing on the different dimensions of climate change will gather at the 4th European Climate Change Adaptation conference (ECCA) to discuss recent advances in climate change adaptation research and practice.

A cooperative approach allows to improve learning and knowledge exchange in order to deliver optimal solutions. The biennial ECCA conference is organised by three Horizon 2020 projects on behalf of the European Commission, and it is the largest conference on climate change adaptation in Europe. It will be held for the first time in Southern Europe and will emphasise the collaboration between climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) communities, bringing the two groups together.

The conference focuses on the targets of the three major international agreements: Paris Agreement, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Topics discussed and presented will range from extreme wildfire events, business adaptation, urban green infrastructure, innovation and urban resilience, climate services for decision making systems, citizens and sustainable living, to youth initiatives.

“As scientific knowledge related to climate change advances, decision-makers in the public and private sector have an increasing need for information with respect to the impacts of climate change in their specific field of activity. This is precisely where climate services come in, a field which has evolved considerably in the last years worldwide”, states ECCA 2019 conference keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Daniela Jacob, Head of the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS). “Climate services can be defined as the transfer of decision-relevant climate knowledge to a variety of users in the form of tailor-made products and services.”

Aimed at finding integrated solutions and inspire action to leave no one behind on the climate change challenge agenda, the conference will showcase the EU’s excellence on Research & Innovation for CCA; and will inform Horizon Europe, the next European funding framework for Research & Innovation.
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About ECCA
The 4th European Climate Change Adaptation (ECCA) Conference will take place at Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon, Portugal, from the 28th to the 31st of May 2019, after Hamburg (2013), Copenhagen (2015) and Glasgow (2017). In 2010, the first global conference on adaptation was held in Gold Coast, Australia under the umbrella of the UN Environment Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation (PROVIA). This marked the beginning of the biennial Adaptation Futures conferences, and inspired a group of European participants to organise Europe-focused events in the alternate years. The European Commission agreed to support the conference series with funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme. The management of the events is assigned to project coordinators of three EU-funded adaptation research projects: BINGO, PLACARD and RESCCUE. For more information visit: www.ecca2019.eu

About Prof. Dr. Daniela Jacob
Climate scientist Prof. Dr. Daniela Jacob is Head of the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), a scientific organizational entity of Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, and visiting professor at Leuphana University, Faculty of Sustainability. She holds a PhD in meteorology, was Lead Author of the 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) and Coordinating Lead Author for the IPCC Special Report Global Warming of 1.5 °C. Her research interests focus on regional climate modelling, the hydrological cycle, and adaption to climate change.

About IWA
The International Water Association is a unique, global knowledge hub for water professionals and anyone concerned about the future of water. It has over seventy-year heritage connecting water professionals worldwide to find solutions to the world’s water challenges as part of a broader sustainability agenda. As a non-profit organisation with members in more than 130 countries, the IWA connects scientists to practitioners and communities so that pioneering research delivers sustainable solutions. It further fosters technological innovation and drives best practice through international frameworks and standards. www.iwa-network.org

Contacts
Rita Andrade +351 91 840 89 77 ritaandrade@spi.pt
Rui Veras +31 629 055 522 rui.veras@iwahq.org
Vanessa Sousa +351 960 261 410 vanessa.sousa@frescoproducoes.com
David Pacheco +34 673 41 49 09 david.pacheco.ext@cetaqua.com