Projeto Portugal 2020

Código de operação Código que identifica cada projeto efetuado com recurso a fundos europeus.

Data de conclusão

Sumário

Adaptation to climate change involves significant transformations in the action of citizens, researchers, professionals and policy-makers, as it entails relevant adjustments both in our ways of living (both collective and individual) i.e., demanding societal transformations and behavioural changes, and in the ways of making decisions (e.g., infrastructures, laws, policies) in response to climatic events. The search for “solutions and preparedness for the impact of climate change”, which is the focus of this area of Horizon Europe [1], brings to the forefront the need for research projects that are “bold and inspirational”, that “link activities across different disciplines and different types of research and innovation” and that try to “drive a systemic change”. These are the foundations of this research proposal, which articulates the global challenge of climate change with excellent science and widening participation, by putting research and innovation in direct dialogue with citizens and civil society organisations, business communities and industries, and policy makers. Only by fostering communication and making different societal (academic and non-academic) spheres permeable to each other, processes of co-creation of alternative climate futures will ensue. It is worth noting that “the focus is on innovation and the transfer of scientific knowledge” in relation to the environment which is also one of the priorities of the Norte Region. However, as stated on the Horizon Europe guidelines, it is necessary to address “new communities beyond usual stakeholders, which help lead to a societal transformation”. Involving young people in this process is of the essence, not only because young Europeans have been at the forefront of climate change activism, but also because future generations will be most affected by these changes and should have a say in imagining our common future and discussing possible actionable solutions for the problems that we are facing. As such, young people are at the centre of our project: as stated by the 2015 Declaration of Paris, “children and young people represent our future and must have the opportunity to shape that future” [2]. This also implies that the project aims to make a relevant contribution to how young people can genuinely and productively be involved in co-creating and co-designing the “vision, innovation pathways and (actionable) solutions for transformative adaptation” [3] to climate change. This project is organized into five Work Packages (WP; see Appendix 1: Project Road Map) and has a dual focus: - on one hand, the production of scientific knowledge and innovation to address the challenges of adapting to climate change and developing resilient communities, by advancing theory, research and intervention (WP2, WP3, WP4 and WP5); - on the other hand, the promotion of spaces for the dialogue and co-creation between scientists, professionals, activists, young people, economic agents and political decision-makers (WP1), not only throughout the project, as a way to monitor the work done and to generate trust and habits of conversation, but also, close to the end, to promote systematic discussions and reflections over the results and their implications, i.e., how they can be turned into actionable solutions in various areas (research, education, activism, industry and business, public policies). The first block of WPs (W2 to W5) addresses different dimensions of theoretical and applied knowledge involved in the adaptation to climate change. WP2 will reflect on theoretical material on the area of Risks & Disasters, Environment and Society, in what concerns anthropic risks such as Climate Change and those related to damage of the Earth System behaviour. WP3 will assess predictors of individual and societal change to identify psychological barriers to climate action and public understanding of scientific claims, to explore how people assess environmental risks and determine relevant elements for intervention in this area. WP4 and WP5 will have a stronger applied knowledge focus: the exploration of the role of physiochemical processes and conditions specifically in relation to water availability, as a key challenge resulting from climate change (WP4); and the design, implementation and evaluation of the effects of a school-based intervention that rests on school and university participatory partnerships in educating for climate change (WP5). The second block consists of only WP1 that embodies the mediational strategy of the project across the whole duration of the project, promoting conversations, trust and habits of interaction and dialogue regarding climate change, research and politics in the community. This aim is generating spaces for bridging theoretical and applied knowledge resulting from the first block of WPs with the experience-based expertise of different societal actors, towards the co-creation and co-design of actionable solutions that will foster the resilience of communities to climate change and its concrete effects in the region. As such, the project directly addresses some of the proposed important objectives of the “Climate Resilient Europe” mission [3], specifically: (i) developing awareness, understanding and relevant knowledge, not only in R&D&I institutions, but also across diverse stakeholders and community members and organisations; (ii) promoting climate risk management at individual and community level; and (iii) exploring innovations based on consensus about transformative social change and actionable solutions, sustained by a strategy that rests on the dialogue and co-creation between the various project’s actors. Schools are significant partners of this project not only because of their centrality in young people’s lives, but also because they are recognized as “performing social infrastructures (…) more resilient to environmental and human-made risks and shocks, and more prone to social innovation” [4]. As such, eight 3rd cycle and secondary schools across the Norte Region, one in each NUTS III, will be involved (see Appendix 6: Letters of support). On the whole, the project assumes the production of scientific and technological knowledge within an approach of public engagement in responsible research and innovation that brings together a wide diversity of actors and organizations who would not normally interact on matters of science and technology to co-create and co-design a “resilient, climate-prepared and fair” Norte.