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Coordinator: Manuel Duarte Pinheiro
Thematic Strand 4 (TS4), Response to Natural and Societal Changes, addresses issues concerning the characterisation, mitigation, and adaptation to shifts in both natural and societal realms, as these changes often trigger stresses or disruptions to the conventional “business as usual” paradigm in built and natural environments.
Key focal points include the formulation of pertinent policies, the establishment of robust procedures, and the enhancement of infrastructure design and operation to foster a sustainable synergy between human activities and the environment.
Central to this discourse is the profound impact of climate change, acting as a catalyst for adaptation across various sectors of economic and social spheres while exacerbating existing societal and financial challenges. Amidst this backdrop, a pressing need emerges for heightened consciousness regarding our natural surroundings, resource scarcity, and the concepts of limits and carrying capacity. These ideals, however, often clash with the legitimate pursuit of an improved quality of life. Complex natural and societal changes need deeper understanding and nuanced responses across all domains and scales.
Science and technology, often a source of hope and sometimes suspicion, face the challenge of bridging the gap between theory and practice, policy formulation, and actionable measures. Therefore, developing advanced methods for uncertainty management and risk assessment is crucial for crafting agile solutions to the multifaceted challenges posed by changing natural and societal dynamics.
R&D activities developed within TS4 focus on cross-cutting issues whose resolution directly contributes to tackling major societal challenges, addressing several sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, in particular, SDG 3-Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 6- Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 7-Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9- Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 11- Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13-Climate Action, and SDG 15- Life on land.
R&D responses to natural and societal changes are organized into three main themes:
TS4 encompasses a diverse array of fundamental and applied research studies based on experimental, fieldwork, and numerical analyses. These endeavours include research on sustainable systems, sustainability management, sustainable policy and governance, the impacts of heat waves and wildfires, the effect of the built environment on society, water governance, sanitation strategies, and solutions for peri-urban areas of low-income countries, water asset management, pathologies in monuments and historic buildings, energy efficiency, urban regeneration, solar urban planning.
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