Call: Disaster Resilience & Climate Change topic 2: Natural Hazards: Towards risk reduction science and innovation plans at national and European level

1. Excellent Science
2. Industrial Leadership
3. Societal Challenges

Specific objectives:

• to achieve a resource – and water - efficient and climate change resilient economy and society,
• the protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems, and
• a sustainable supply and use of raw materials, in order to meet the needs of a growing global population within the sustainable limits of the planet's natural resources and eco-systems.

The 20th century's era of seemingly plentiful and cheap resources is coming to an end. The ability of the economy to adapt and become more climate change resilient, resource efficient and at the same time remain competitive depends on high levels of eco-innovation, of a societal, economic, organisational and technological nature. With the global market for eco-innovation worth around 1 trillion € per annum and expected to triple by 2030, eco-innovation represents a major opportunity to boost competitiveness and job creation in European economies.

To ensure EU added value and given the transnational and global nature of the climate and the environment, their scale and complexity, and the international dimension of the raw materials supply chain, activities have to be carried out at the Union level and beyond. Reducing resource use and environmental impacts, whilst increasing competitiveness, will require a decisive societal and technological transition to an economy based on a sustainable relationship between nature and human well-being. Innovation in these fields will provide opportunities for growth and jobs, as well as innovative options involving science, technology including of ICT, the economy, society, policy and governance.

Research and innovation will cover the following broad lines of activities:

• Fighting and adapting to climate change
• Protecting the environment, sustainably managing natural resources, water, biodiversity and ecosystems
• Ensuring the sustainable supply of non-energy and non-agricultural raw materials
• Enabling the transition towards a green economy and society through eco-innovation
• Developing comprehensive and sustained global environmental observation and information systems
• Cultural heritage

Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), some types of extreme events (e.g. flash floods and related landslides, storm surges, heatwaves, fires, including vegetation fires) have increased in frequency or magnitude, and in the meantime populations and assets at risk have also increased, leading to greater disaster risks. In order to better forecast and manage the immediate consequences of weather- and climate-related disasters, in particular regarding emergency responses, improved measures and technologies are needed.

Previous and recent catastrophic events have demonstrated that society has become more and more vulnerable and exposed to risk also in an uneven distribution way at global level. A more coherent approach to threat and related risks needs to be developed within a strong risk reduction innovative frame and perspective to organise and structure, with all the relevant actors, a contribution to a new strategy for future research activities in natural hazards going beyond the traditional risk concepts and including resilience.

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