Inhaltspezifische Aktionen

15/11/2023 | New project to develop a pan-European early warning system against natural hazards

A new Horizon Europe project has been launched, in which ZEU, represented by Dr. Elena Xoplaki, is a member of the project consortium. The Mediterranean and Pan-European Forecast and Early Warning System against Natural Hazards, MedEWSa, kicked off at the premises of the Ministry of Digital Governance in Athens, Greece on 9-10 November 2023.

The Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU)'s "Climate and Environmental Change" focus area is thus once again expanding its research activities within this exciting topic.

The European and African countries adjacent to the Mediterranean basin are particularly exposed to natural hazards including extreme weather events. To enhance resilience and alleviate the impact of such hazards, coordinated preparedness and response mechanisms must extend beyond administrative and geographic regions. 

This summer was the 5th warmest on record for Europe. Heatwaves sustained persistent dry conditions, facilitating the intensification and spread of wildfires in many regions. There were several significant flood events and localised flash flooding, such as those experienced in Greece, Lybia, Bulgaria and Turkey. In July local authorities in 16 Italian cities issued a red heat alert. The islands of Sicily and Sardinia saw maximum temperatures of 49 °C, a new record high. 

The MedEWSa project (2023-2026), which has secured €5m of funding from Horizon Europe, develops a connected system of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) that supports first responders and facilitates informed decision-making. In doing so, it directly contributes to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and enhances the European Union's competitiveness and growth.

MedEWSa delivers a network of effective and interoperable MHEWS spanning across the Mediterranean basin and its adjacent countries. It builds on existing infrastructures, fills gaps, and harmonizes through innovative technologies. Particular attention is paid to current and emerging extreme event hotspots, vulnerable areas, and at-risk communities. Central to MedEWSa is a suite of carefully selected pairs of pilot sites, “twins”, that highlight discrepancies in coverage and capabilities and that foster collaboration and demonstrate the transferability of MedEWSa’s tools.

The main objectives of MedEWSa are 

  • Provide multi-hazard information and conduct risk analysis.
  • Contribute to impact-based forecasting.
  • Develop a fully integrated impact-based Multi-Hazard Early Warning System.
  • Use AI-based decision-support solutions to enhance multi-hazard impact prediction.
  • Develop innovative financial solutions through risk transfer to capital markets, including Insurance-Linked Securities and parametric insurance.

Elena and her team will contribute to building capacity against heatwaves, droughts and wildfires as well as floods with detection of these events in the sub-seasonal and seasonal scale. The partner is responsible for the preparation of the MedEWSa baseline of decision support systems, the post-processing of the model data, and the interdependent multi-hazards.