In this Opening Session we will address the EMS2026 programmatic focus on "Delta Climate in Europe: weather, water, and warnings - Advancing Atmospheric Science, Water Management, and Societal Preparedness in a Changing European Climate", as it was proposed by the hosts of this meeting from the Netherlands.
https://www.ems2026.eu/about/programmatic-focus.html
We have invited esteemed experts to look at the many aspects of this challenging topic.
The session is will last approximately one hour and is roughly structured as follows:
▪ Short opening of the conference, followed by an introduction of the four panellist.
▪ A round of about 20 minutes, for which with one or two questions put to each of the panellists.
▪ Opening up of discussion among the panellists.
▪ Opening of the discussion to audience questions: during the former part questions can already be submitted via an online tool, and voted up by others, so the prioritized/most relevant questions according to audience interest will be discussed.
The discussion will be chaired by the EMS President Liz Bentley and will address questions such as
- What combination of nature-based solutions, technology and infrastructure will be needed to secure a sustainable future for river deltas?
- How can stronger hydrometeorological observations, data sharing and forecasting strengthen climate resilience and sustainable development in river deltas?
- How must delta governance and adaptation approaches evolve as climate risks accelerate—including difficult choices between hard protection and managed retreat?
- How can the Early Warnings for All initiative strengthen climate resilience in river deltas?
- How can we ensure delta adaptation protects people, livelihoods, ecosystems and heritage, particularly where social and economic inequalities increase vulnerability?
- How can stronger partnerships between National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, river basin organizations, local authorities and other stakeholders accelerate climate resilience in river deltas?
- Which knowledge gaps, if any, do have the highest priority to be filled to be prepared for climate adaptation in delta's and coastal lowlands?
Audience questions will be managed through 'Slido'.
Public information:
In this panel discussion points of views of the panellists on the impact of climate change on coastal areas and river deltas and its various mitigation alternatives will be in the focus.
The panel will be chaired by the current President of the EMS, Liz Bentley. The panellists:
Ad Jeuken, Deltares, The Netherlands Ad Jeuken is a Climate Change Adaptation expert at Deltares, holding a PhD in climate modelling (KNMI, University of Eindhoven) and with a professional background in water management (Rijkswaterstaat, Deltares). Now 18 years with Deltares he is working as an international expert on climate adaptation planning and investments. At Deltares he is leading both applied research as well as advisory projects among others for the Dutch Government, European commission, Green Climate Fund, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and for local to national authorities worldwide.
Maria Carmen Llasat Bojtja, University of Barcelona María del Carmen Llasat Botija is a full professor of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Barcelona, and director of the Group of Analysis of Adverse Meteorological Situations, GAMA. Her research focuses on improving knowledge, prevention and mitigation of hydrometeorological risks in a context of climate and environmental change, from a holistic perspective and within a framework of interdisciplinary collaboration. She is also actively involved in dissemination and awareness-raising activities regarding natural risks and sustainable development, as well as in the knowledge transfer to policymakers. For all this, in 2022, she received the Cross of Saint George from the Government of Catalonia. She is an expert in floods and flash floods in coastal areas and she is currently the president of the Flood Observatory of Catalonia. She was president of the Natural Hazards Section of the European Geophysical Society and creator and editor-in-chief of the journal Natural Hazards and Earth System Science.
Kornélia Radics, WMO, Director Regional Office for Europe
Dr. Radics leads WMO activities across Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Middle East, and coordinates partnerships to strengthen weather, climate, and water services within WMO Regional Association VI. Dr. Radics brings over 25 years of experience in operational and applied meteorology, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, strategic policy, management, and multilateral diplomacy. Prior to joining WMO in 2023, she served as President of the Hungarian Meteorological Service and, in that capacity, as the Permanent Representative of Hungary to WMO, EUMETSAT, and ECMWF. She also served as President of WMO Regional Association VI and as Chair of the EUMETNET Aviation Advisory Committee. Under her leadership, the Hungarian Meteorological Service underwent extensive modernization and implemented a free and open meteorological data policy.
At this event we will honour our 2026 Awardees. The following awards will be presented to the selected recipients:
▪ EMS Young Scientist Conference Awards
▪ EMS Outstanding Poster Award 2025
▪ Tromp Foundation Travel Awards for young scientists
▪ EMS Tromp Award for an outstanding achievement in biometeorology
▪ EMS Young Scientist Award 2026
▪ EMS Technology Achievement Award
▪ EMS Journalistic Award
▪ EMS Outreach & Communication Award
▪ EMS Silver Medal : the ceremony for the Silver Medallist Markus Repnik will include a laudation by Florence Rabier, and the Silver Medal Lecture "Innovating ways to support developing countries in closing their basic weather and climate data gaps".
The Sergej Zilitinkevich Memorial Award will be handed over in session UP2.1 Cities and urban areas in the earth-atmosphere system on Monday morning, followed by the Award Lecture.
The session will close with an announcement and news about the 2027 Harry Otten Prize for innovation in meteorology.
The EMS & partners are inviting all conveners and early career scientists to this reception. Registration: No registration to this event is required!
A relaxed occasion for meeting with fellow Early Career Scientists, exchange experience with and between convenors and for chatting about career possibilities with people who have chosen different career paths - and just enjoy.
With ECS we mean PhD students and early PostDocs - generally, all who think of themselves as an early career scientist.
The reception is sponsored by PRIMET, a Professional Trade Association for meteorological service providers operating in the private sector. It aims to promote a fair trading environment between the public and private sector in meteorology and its related disciplines: https://primet.org/
The European Meteorological Society (EMS) has launched their Journal of the European Meteorological Society (JEMS) in 2024. JEMS is a peer-reviewed, open access online journal, publishing international research and review articles of general interest and relevance about weather, climate and related fields. The journal is published by Elsevier
B.V. https://www.emetsoc.org/introducing-the-new-journal-of-the-ems/
The event Meet the Editors enables a direct interaction between members of the Editorial Board and prospective authors and the readership community of JEMS. You are cordially invited to stop by and discuss with members of the Editorial Board.
This Keynote will be presented by Izidine Pinto, Senior Scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute
Through rapid attribution studies, which provide timely scientific evidence showing the extent to which climate change influenced a given event, World Weather Attribution (WWA) has helped to change the global conversation around climate change, influencing adaptation strategies and climate policy more broadly.
Public information:
Izidine Pinto is a Senior Scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). His work with World Weather Attribution (WWA) focuses on attributing extreme weather and climate events, contributing to more accurate climate information that supports improved decision-making and disaster risk reduction. Izidine also serves as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, part of the Seventh Assessment Report cycle.
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