Who gets heard? Scientific experts at the Hearings of Parliamentary Specialist Committees

There is an increased probability of extreme fires, due mainly to climate change (droughts and declining summer precipitation), rural depopulation, and land-use changes. To respond to this, a new European Academies report is calling for an urgent shift in wildfire policy – from reactive fire suppression to proactive, risk-based land management.

Already today, wildfires burn half a million hectares in the EU yearly on average, i.e. nearly twice the size of Luxembourg. While the Mediterranean remains the highest-risk region, the report warns that continental, alpine, and boreal regions must also prepare for a new era of fire. Instead of focussing on fire suppression and emergency response, the report advocates for an integrated EU framework for landscape fire-risk governance that prioritises prevention alongside these three elements: climate and land-use policies that focus on restoring carbon-rich peatlands and managing forests sustainably; integrate fire risk into biodiversity and tree-planting plans; and educate for a fire-resilient society.

The report under the auspices of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) was drafted by scientists from across Europe. On behalf of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, Marco Conedera, forest engineer at the WSL Campus in Cadenazzo, contributed as a reviewer of a draft version.

Growing geopolitical tensions combined with high dependencies on imported fuels, mainly oil and gas, increasingly threaten Europe’s energy security. A well-managed transition to sustainable domestic energy and innovative technologies made in Europe can offer a secure and prosperous future. Written by 27 scientists from across Europe, this new academy report aims to support European decision-makers with facts, analyses and recommendations for action.

The weaponising of energy by autocratic regimes through trade disruptions, attacks on infrastructure, and growing numbers of cyber-attacks increase both the risk of interruptions to Europe’s energy supplies and also energy prices. High and volatile energy prices reduce investor confidence, jeopardise the competitiveness of European industries, and drive millions of households into energy poverty.

Since Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022, the EU has done a lot to reduce Russian energy supplies by diversifying its gas supplies and increasing imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, it is particularly important not to shift import dependence from Russian gas to import dependence on LNG from another third country, such as the USA, with all the associated risks.

On behalf of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, Russell McKenna (ETH Zurich) contributed to this European Academy report.

The Swiss Alps are characterised by glaciers. Their retreat influences the landscape and tourism, harbours natural hazards, lowers the volume of water available in summer and even has an impact on the ocean. The extent to which the Alpine glaciers are retreating and whether they will eventually disappear depends on climate change and, consequently, global climate protection. The factsheet outlines the level of knowledge concerning glacial melting and its impact on society and, additionally, illustrates available options and courses of action.