WOS annual event 2025: Climate adaptation and water
| When: | Fr 21-03-2025 13:00 - 17:30 |
| Where: | House of Connections, Grote Markt 21, Groningen |
How can we emphasise the urgency and opportunities of climate adaptation regionally and (inter)nationally, and how can (new) forms of communication help us in this?
That is the question we will address during our annual event on Friday the 21st of March. This year’s theme is climate adaptation and water, one of the key focus areas of the Wubbo Ockels School. This theme addresses significant societal challenges, such as rising sea levels, freshwater availability, safeguarding water quality, soil salinisation, and the complexities of integrating these themes into other transitions.
We have put together a diverse and inspiring programme for you! There are inspiring speakers, interactive workshops and we will announce the winners of the video competition on 'Climate and Sustainable Development in Cities'. This international competition is the result of a collaboration with universities across the Asia Pacific and the University of Groningen.
The focus of the day will be on a positive note, focusing on the steps we can take to adapt to climate change.
Programme
|
13.00 |
Walk-In |
|
13.15 |
Opening by Lorenzo Squintani - Director Wubbo Ockels School |
|
13.20 |
Caroline Katsman - Professor Oceans and Climate at Delft University of Technology |
|
13.55 |
Ronald Holzhacker – Professor of Multilevel Governance and Regional Structure |
|
14.15 |
Coffee break |
|
14.45 |
Parallel sessions
|
|
15.45 |
Coffee break |
|
16.00 |
Award ceremony of the video competition ‘Climate and Sustainable Development in Cities’ presented by Professor Ronald Holzhacker |
|
16.15 |
Aniek Moonen – Founder of Future Design Institute, transition-expert |
|
16.45 |
Closing of the event, drinks and networking |
Keynote Caroline Katsman
Caroline Katsman is professor of Oceans & Climate at Delf University of Technology (TU Delft). She is a internationally recognised scientist, and has recently been appointed as scientific figurehead of Dutch Climate Research Initiative (KIN). In this way she is able to combine her scientific expertise on climate systems and oceans with social stakeholders to make a real societal impact. As she explains: “As a climate scientist, I have long been aware of the serious climate changes and associated challenges facing us. At the same time, it is evident that more is needed than just the ‘hard numbers’ provided by climate physicists to translate this knowledge into policy that contributes to a transition to a more sustainable society.” Through her work with the KIN she can take “a bold, radically different approach; a break in trend that I believe is badly needed.”
Aniek Moonen
Aniek Moonen is an advocate for climate justice. A ‘future builder’ and transition expert, her work focuses on the ability to think long-term and protect future generations. Moonen: "Transformative change requires courageous people who not only think about the here and now, but also the later and elsewhere. I like to challenge them to do so."
From 2021 to 2023, she chaired the Young Climate Movement, where she represented the voice of a million young people in the national and international climate debate. Aniek outlines a hopeful future, "which we can only achieve if we give the transition the highest priority from now on."
