09:00 - 11:00 CEST
Brussels, Belgium
📅 Date: 18 November 2025 | 🕘 Time: 9:00–11:00 |📍Location: NORCE Brussels, Rue Guimard 9
Join us for a high-level hybrid event on policy needs for the Polar Regions, organised by four major EU projects – PolarRES, CRiceS, PROTECT, and OCEAN ICE. Discover the latest insights into how rapid changes in the Arctic and Antarctic are reshaping Europe’s climate, resilience, and security.
In light of the upcoming International Polar Year (2032-2033), we will explore how science can inform EU discussions on climate adaptation, resilience, and the ocean-climate nexus, ensuring that policy keeps pace with change and reinforcing Europe’s role as a leader in evidence-based climate action.
Held in collaboration with the MEP Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity & Sustainable Development and the EU Polar Cluster, the event strengthens the science–policy dialogue by engaging EU institutions, Member States, and stakeholders in shaping forward-looking responses.
🎯 Objective
The event will foster dialogue between leading scientists and policymakers to identify the measures required to respond to polar environmental change, with a focus on:
- addressing climate risks and strengthening Europe’s resilience,
- understanding sea-level rise and its impacts on coasts, communities, and infrastructure,
- integrating polar knowledge into EU and global climate decision-making,
- and supporting Europe’s leadership in evidence-based ocean and climate governance.
📌 Draft Agenda:
09:00 – 09:15 | Arrival & Welcome
09:15 – 09:25 | Opening remarks
09:25 – 10:00 | Polar science insights for EU climate and ocean policy:
- PolarRES – Polar climate change in a global context (Priscilla Mooney)
- PROTECT – Sea level rise and ice sheets (Gaël Durand / Aimée Slangen)
- OCEAN ICE – Polar ocean carbon uptake and feedbacks (Ruth Mottram)
- CRiceS – The key role of sea ice and snow (Risto Makkonen)
10:00 – 10:30 | Policy panel discussion with invited stakeholders from EU political and research institutions:
- Sakis Arnaoutoglou, Member of the European Parliament
- Larissa Lorinczi, Policy officer, DG RTD, European Commission
- Martin Wearing, Digital Twin Earth Scientist, European Space Agency
10:30 – 10:50 | Q&A with audience
10:50 – 11:00 | Closing remarks
11:00 – 11:30 | Networking coffee
🔍 Key Themes:
- Urgency of action to address polar-driven climate risks
- Sea-level rise as a challenge for Europe’s coasts, communities and infrastructure
- Integration of polar science into European and global climate decision-making
- Europe’s leadership in evidence-based climate and ocean governance
This is a hybrid event and will be livestreamed. To receive the livestream link on the day, we kindly ask you to register.