Urban areas are major contributors to climate change and are especially vulnerable to its effects. Over the coming decades, millions of urban residents are expected to face rising sea levels, more intense storms, inland flooding, and extreme temperature variations. These challenges will strain urban infrastructure, reducing access to essential services and lowering the quality of life. Most critical economic and social infrastructure is located in cities, making them highly exposed to climate risks. However, many cities are not yet equipped to respond effectively due to outdated policies, limited resources, and low public awareness.
Citizen science offers a valuable way to address these challenges by enhancing our understanding of urban climate, health, and air quality. Through the active involvement of citizens and stakeholders, communities can collect critical data on air quality and other environmental factors. This participatory approach not only improves our knowledge of climate risks but also strengthens adaptation strategies for urban areas. Simple, low-cost tools can be used by citizens to gather atmospheric data, while stakeholders provide insights into local vulnerabilities. Additionally, unconventional data sources, such as crowdsourced observations and urban cellular networks, can offer important information on climate impacts and response strategies.
By engaging citizens in these efforts, we foster a sense of responsibility for the environment and build stronger support for adaptation initiatives. Citizen participation in data collection provides hands-on experience with the real effects of climate change, leading to greater awareness and climate-friendly behaviors. This is essential for meeting climate mitigation goals, along with technological and societal actions. Citizen science projects that monitor climate variables, health impacts, and air quality in urban settings, as well as those that develop digital tools to enhance public knowledge, play a critical role in combating misinformation and advancing climate adaptation.
This session encourages contributions that explore participatory science, crowdsourced data collection, and best practices for involving citizens in Europe’s climate adaptation strategies.