The RAAS division, brings together an interdisciplinary team of economists, environmental scientists/engineers and spatial planners experts in climate risk analysis, adaptation strategies and policies.
The research challenges are:
- Analysis of the impacts of climate extremes and their societal implications;
- Performance assessments of nature-based solutions and assessment of their connectivity and side-benefits;
- Development of policy-oriented composite indicators for sustainable development, DRR and CCA;
- Development of operational decision support tools (including climate services) and methodologies to assess multi-hazard (cumulative and compound effects, spatially and temporally interlinked or correlated risks) to aid the decision-making process;
- Evaluation of the interactions between climate and non-climate drivers (e.g. land use and socio-economic scenarios) on the occurrence, distribution and environmental fate of chemicals and the related risks for aquatic ecosystems, human health and safety.
- Support policy makers (EU, national, regional and local governments) in actuating informed decisions and interventions for disasters management and climate adaptation more rapidly and effectively.
The research priorities embrace three major themes that denote the main research units.
RAAS Projects
RAAS Publications
Looking at the Water-Energy-Food nexus through the lens of Ecosystem Services: a new perspective
Sambo B., Sperotto A., Torresan S., Pittore M.; Zebisch M.; Critto A.
2024, Environmental Research Letters, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad96cf
A co-design matrix-based approach to evaluate the climate risks for airports: A case study of Bologna airport
De Vivo C., Ellena M., Barbato G., Pugliese A., Marinucci F., Barilli T.; Mercogliano P.
2024, Climate Services, Volume 37 - 100536, doi: 10.1016/j.cliser.2024.100536
Framing adaptive capacity of coastal communities: A review of the role of scientific framing in indicator-based adaptive capacity assessments in coastal social-ecological systems
Espinoza Córdova F.; Krause T.; Furlan E., Allegri E.; O'Leary B.C.; Degia K.; Trégarot E.; Cornet C.C.; de Juan S.; Fonseca C.; Simide R.; Perez G.
2024, Ocean and Coastal Management, doi: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107455
Contacts
Venice: Edificio Porta dell’Innovazione – Piano 2,
via della Libertà 12 – 30175 Venezia Marghera (VE)
[email protected]
+39 041 2346080
Research Units
Research Unit Leader
Jeremy Pal
This research unit focuses on economic and wider social effects of extreme climate and meteorological events as well as on policy instruments set to reduce societal vulnerability and increase resilience. The unit focuses on purpose-oriented analysis of the impacts of major disaster strikes in Europe and elsewhere, and develop models and model-based information services to estimate current and future economic and social damage and losses caused by extreme weather and climate related events, likely to be amplified by the human-induced climate change.
Research Unit Leader
Silvia Torresan
This research unit analyses the multiple ways through which environment may be impacted as a result of exposure and vulnerability to one or more environmental stressors such as chemicals, land use and climate change. The research priorities include (i) Multi-hazards/risks and impact assessments using quantitative and qualitative methods and tools for assessing combined risks and spill-over effects of climate variability and change; (ii) Modelling climate change impacts on chemicals, ecological and human risks including how climate change influence environmental fate and transport of chemicals; and (iii) Decision support systems and ICT tools engaged in developing state-of-the-art decision support systems (DSS), and information and communication tools (ICT) set to assist decision making by improved access to, and analysis of, information on environment and society.
Research Unit Leader
Veronica Casartelli
This research unit addresses national and international climate adaptation policies and set to inform decision making processes. Research priorities of this subunit include institutional relations and adaptation policies implemented by means of international and national frameworks; and support activities to national governments and European/international bodies such as DG Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection and the European Environmental Agency. Another thematic area represented include policy analysis and assessment, in the context of which we analyse international and national policies related to climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, including the post-2015 international policy framework on DRR, Loss and Damage international mechanism established under the premises of UNFCCC and multi-sectoral partnerships promoted to aid the least developed and small island developing states.