How we define scientific excellence has an immediate, career-defining impact on geoscientists, particularly early- and mid-career researchers who contend with a series of short-time contracts, expectations of high mobility, and the relentless pressure to publish. Currently, the indicators we use to evaluate excellence in the geosciences are predominantly quantitative - including the number of peer-reviewed articles and citations, invited talks, awards won, funding sources obtained, publishing in “prestigious” journals, and positions held at prestigious institutions. However, all these indicators are biased and not representative of the impact of research on science and society. It is further increasingly recognised that they are often exclusionary for underrepresented groups and amplify imbalances of power and visibility.

This Union Symposia invites diverse voices to reflect on how scientific excellence and academic systems (including peer-review and grant evaluation) can evolve to become more sustainable and inclusive - and who needs to drive these changes. We will explore different proposals that can offer more robust support structures and flexible environments for underrepresented groups and researchers balancing family and career while also facilitating and enhancing scientific progress. In particular, we aim to challenge entrenched practices, reconsidering publication requirements before Ph.D. completion, rethinking how international mobility is weighted in grant evaluations, and transforming anonymous peer-review systems, with a power imbalance skewed in favor of reviewers, into open and transparent processes that foster scientific progress. We also aim to explore emerging indicators of excellent science, such as Open Science, FAIR research, research focusing on societal challenges, inter- to multi-disciplinary research, and the number of published Open Access datasets. We also discuss how to best integrate qualitative factors, such as a scientist’s open-mindedness to testing different ideas, dialog-oriented attitude during the peer-review process, objectivity in acknowledging their failures, collaborations with colleagues supporting competing hypotheses, and commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
Come and join us and our three invited speakers (Prof. Thom Bogaard, Prof. Stuart Lane, and Prof. Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr) to make your voice heard.

In Roman mythology, the god Janus is often portrayed with two faces. He gazes both forward and backward, symbolizing duality: beginnings and endings, war and peace, past and future.
Our planet exhibits a similar dual nature. Certain natural processes are unequivocally destructive, such as earthquakes and tsunami, while others are essential for human life, like soil formation, the water cycle, and mineralization. Some processes, however, embody both aspects. Volcanic eruptions, for example, can cause widespread devastation, yet also create fertile soils that sustain dense human settlements, despite the ongoing risk.
This Union Symposium, which also serves as an introduction to the Geosciences Information for Teachers (GIFT) workshop, will explore three key aspects of Earth’s processes—volcanism, earthquakes, and energy issues—through the perspectives of three world-renowned experts.
Giorgia Stasi, from the Geological Survey of Belgium and President of the Energy, Resources and Environment (ERE) Division of the EGU, will address the challenges surrounding humanity’s energy needs and the potential issues these may cause.
Paolo Papale, volcanologist at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV, Italy) will present the most recent developments in volcanic activity in Europe, focusing on Campi Flegrei and Mount Etna.
Jean-Philippe Avouac, California Institute of Technology (USA), will discuss the latest major earthquakes and examine whether predicting the time and location of these events is possible.
Their insights will help us better understand how scientific research and technological innovation can shed light on the planet’s complexity and guide us in coexisting with it.
The audience will include around 120 high school teachers from various countries and students from high schools in Vienna, and scientists attending the EGU General Assembly. As in a past US organized by the EC, the complete immersion of science teachers in a truly scientific environment, such as this event and the EGU General Assembly as a whole, and their direct interaction with world-leading geoscientists are expected to spark curiosity about scientific researchresearch. Teachers, in turn, will transmit this curiosity to their students, helping to foster interest in Earth Sciences.
Conversely, scientists participating in the GA will gain greater of the EGU’s educational programs, which may stimulate their interest in participating to these programs.

Cluster was originally proposed to ESA in 1982, was subject to a launch failure in 1996, but was rebuilt after great effort from the community and its four spacecraft were successfully launched in 2000. This session, centred around a new documentary about the mission, will discuss the story of Cluster, its science and some lessons learned. In particular it will include aspects of the making of documentary itself and the unique challenges and opportunities of telling the story of a mission that has a history spanning almost 50 years while also grappling with the creative process of communicating the esoteric nature of heliophysics/space plasma science to the broader public as well as the unique approaches employed by the documentary team.

Space exploration encompasses a broad range of activities, from preparatory and analogue work on Earth, through activities in LEO and to exploration of the different provinces of the Solar System. It is currently characterized by a new wave of Lunar missions, an expanding role of private players, and the participation of an increasing number of countries and space agencies. While this “New Space” context offers an increasing number of opportunities for geosciences and space-related sciences at large, it also comes with increasing threats on the environments of Earth and the Moon, and with strong requirements on a durable and sustainable perspective to space exploration, and on preserving the resources and unique scientific and cultural values of celestial bodies.
In this context, the Committee on SPAce Research (COSPAR) of the International Science Council (ISC) is actively preparing for its 46th Scientific Assembly in Florence a new edition of its RoadMap for Exploration, building on the strong legacy of the previous RoadMap “Toward a global space exploration program: A stepping stone approach”, by Ehrenfreund et al., published in 2012. The COSPAR Panel on Exploration (PEX) invites EGU26 participants to take advantage of this session to discuss the objectives and implementation means of the establishment at the international level of a “Virtuous Circle of Solar System Exploration”, which should connect Science, Exploration and Environmental Stewardship to build a sustainable future for space exploration.
We propose four goals for discussion of this new Exploration Roadmap:
1. Position space research at the forefront of the new multi-stakeholder era of space exploration;
2. Maximize the scientific return of space exploration programs via enhanced international cooperation;
3. Promote environmental stewardship of celestial bodies to preserve their environments, resources and cultural heritage;
4. Identify and promote new approaches to space exploration that will guarantee its sustainability.
We will discuss these goals with a panel of experts representing the different components of space exploration stakeholders. One of the objectives of the panel discussion will be to identify specific European views on and contributions to the design of a robust, sustainable and environment-friendly development of space exploration over the two coming decades.

The planetary boundaries framework defines a safe operating space for humanity, measuring with indicators and thresholds how pressures on the environment have destabilized the Earth system with profound consequences for environmental health, economic development and social equity. The freshwater boundary, initially defined as consumption of no more than 4000 cubic kilometres of freshwater per year, has now been considered transgressed. Yet this global figure conceals essential details: how are pressures spread across regions and sectors, and how do surface and groundwater each contribute? If these combined pressures are indeed disrupting the Earth’s water cycle, what actions can we take to bring it back onto a sustainable path?

This Union-wide Symposium brings together diverse perspectives on how water, land use and ecological systems, respond across levels to climate change and changing human activities, from the global dimension to national policies and local river basin management. The discussion will highlight both research advances and operational strategies that the geoscience community can mobilize to confront these challenges, empower stakeholders, and identify pathways to more sustainable management within the planet’s freshwater boundaries.

The climate challenge is no longer only about understanding the Earth system, it is also about understanding ourselves as humans. As a global society, response to climate change information and climate action policies is shaped not only by scientific evidence, but also by moral values, cultural identities, religious beliefs, fears, and psychological dynamics. Attitudes that may appear irrational often reflect deeper questions of meaning, trust, and social belonging. How can scientists and governments communicate climate science in ways that resonate with diverse societies without resorting to manipulative tactics? How can decision-makers design ethical and inclusive policies that inspire meaningful action at individual, community, and societal levels?

This Union Symposium will bring together experts from multiple disciplines to explore these questions through both scientific research and practical experience. Speakers will examine the moral, psychological, cultural, and social dimensions that shape public engagement with climate change. Perspectives from religious traditions, as well as indigenous and marginalized communities, will broaden the dialogue and offer insights into how climate communication and policy can become more inclusive, trustworthy, and impactful.

Climate change is reshaping the landscape of risk and hazards across Europe. Natural hazards (such as wildfires, flooding, droughts, heatwaves, etc) are increasingly occurring together or in quick succession, with one event exacerbating the impacts of, and reducing the resilience of communities and environments to another. In some cases, certain hazards can even trigger the next event at a pace or frequency that outstrips our ability to respond and react to the first. These “multi-hazards” may also compound with other geopolitical or social crises, making them overwhelming for emergency services and governments. The mitigations and protections in place across nation states from civil protection architecture, to monitoring, analysis and warning systems, must evolve to inform adaptation strategies and protect communities.

In this new era of climate hazards and risks, the EU has launched the Preparedness Union Strategy, which aims to prepare Europe by bolstering foresight and anticipation capabilities, promoting population preparedness, and among these building a first EU-wide climate adaptation plan.

This Union Symposia will explore how Europe can ensure the use of the best possible scientific evidence into the development of integrated, multi-level strategies for coping with multi-hazard and climate enhanced risks. It will consider the challenges faced when incorporating scientific evidence into both developing and committed policies and evaluate the importance of community engagement and acceptance in the process. This session will illustrate how for natural hazards, siloed research prevents preparedness and reduces resilience.

The session will rely on an interactive format where scientists and decision-makers jointly workshop the impacts of and solutions for integrating disciplines, regions, approaches, and techniques to effectively promote resilient and effective adaptation frameworks. Members of the EGU Climate Hazard and Risk Task Force will share their perspectives from responding to a call for evidence related to the development of the European Climate Adaptation Plan by the European Commission.

The European Green Deal, launched by the European Commission under President von der Leyen in 2019 to reduce emissions by at least 50% by 2030, will transform Europe’s economy, energy, transport, and industrial sectors. Moreover, building on this trajectory, the new 2040 climate target aims for a 90% reduction compared to 1990 levels. Achieving this ambitious goal requires substantial investment in innovation, clean technology, and green infrastructure, while ensuring a just transition for the communities most affected by several of these structural changes.

Scientists, with their disciplinary expertise and emerging technologies, play a critical role in driving green innovation. Thus, their active participation in entrepreneurial ventures and the innovation process is also essential for the successful implementation of the Green Deal.

This Union Symposia will explore programmes, challenges, and opportunities for scientists to engage in the innovation process, and how a just transition can be ensured for communities most affected by structural changes in the economy and energy systems. We will particularly focus on where innovation and especially R&D, focusing on the best practices that have successfully supported green innovation. It will also examine political, economic, and social barriers of greenovation, and discuss strategies to ensure a just transiton for affected communities.

Methane was discovered 250 years ago, by Alessandro Volta in 1776, when he investigated ‘inflammable air’ in bubbles from Bruschera swamp, close to Lake Maggiore, Italy. Then, it was almost exclusively from natural sources. Today, anthropogenic methane from the natural gas and coal industries, ruminant and rice agriculture, landfills and sewage facilities, and from biomass burning and crop waste fires, contribute the bulk of annual global emissions.
In the 2021 Global Methane Pledge, 159 nations committed to cut anthropogenic emissions by at least 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030. Now in 2026, at the halfway stage, progress is limited and importantly the global methane burden is still rising rapidly.
Can mitigation of emissions save the Paris Agreement? This is very challenging but numerous viable options for emission reduction are emerging and being implemented. Energy industry emissions urgently need to be reduced, as do landfill and biodigester emissions. Agricultural emissions are large and often seen to be intractable, but many can be reduced.
This Union session will discuss methane in the natural atmosphere, and its role in anthropogenic climate change. Topics include historical evolution, major sources and key sinks, and progress and the task of mitigation, for natural gas, coal and oil sources, landfills and sewage facilities, and the wide range of agricultural emissions.
Volta, A. 1777. Sull’Aria infiammabile nativa delle paludi. Nella Stamperia Di Giuseppe Marelli, Milano.