UDC brings together international experts to address the emergency of extreme climate events

The Technological Innovation Center for Building and Civil Engineering (CITEEC) of the University of A Coruña will host a high-level seminar next May 15 following the recent disasters of 2026, with the aim of building bridges between climate science and national and European public policies. The event is coordinated by distinguished researcher Dr. Fredy Santiago Monge Rodríguez, from the Department of Psychology and affiliated with the Person-Environment Research Group at the Universidade da Coruña.

After a beginning of the year marked by the severity of extreme weather events, the scientific community is stepping forward. The devastating storms and floods of last February, which displaced more than 11,000 people in Galicia and Andalusia, together with the still recent memory of the 2024 Valencia DANA event, highlight that Spain stands on the front line of the climate crisis.

In this context, the CITEEC Visualization Room will become the epicenter of climate debate through the interdisciplinary conference “International Conference on Extreme Climate Events and Climate Change: Responses for Adaptation.”

An International Panel Facing Local Challenges

The event will feature an outstanding group of internationally recognized experts. Among the speakers are:

• Behavioral sciences: Cameron Brick (University of Amsterdam), Robert Tobias (University of Zurich), Adrian Brugger (University of Bern), and Fredy Santiago Monge Rodríguez (University of A Coruña), who will analyze how society perceives risk and which factors drive adaptation.
• Geomorphology and water-related risks: Chris Skinner, specialist in flood modeling.
• Sustainability and adaptation: Researchers Ricardo García and Rodrigo Lozano Ros, from the University of A Coruña, will provide a perspective focused on adaptation and sustainability.

“Climate change is no longer a projection of the future; it is a reality that is degrading our environment and demanding coordinated political responses,” the seminar organizers state. The forum was created with the purpose of breaking down knowledge “silos” and fostering a truly interdisciplinary space for debate.