Climate change strongly affects natural systems and humanity. In Sweden, the effects of climate change are clear. Here, for example, the temperature increase is about twice as high as globally. Every degree of temperature increase means an increased risk to human societies and a large, mostly nega-tive impact on the natural environment. Climate research plays a crucial role in understanding climate processes and future climate development.

The Climate Symposium is an opportunity for scientists to reflect together and share their contribu-tions to climate science. It is also an opportunity for different societal actors to meet and learn about current research. After the symposium, participants will have gained an overview of Swedish climate research and participated in discussions both within and between disciplines. The symposium will ad-dress questions such as: What knowledge gaps exist? How can we deepen our knowledge of climate change and its impacts? How can we best adapt and what do the decision-making processes look like? What opportunities for co-operation exist?

The symposium builds on the concept from last year with a natural science core, that now links more clearly to broader social issues. Organising this event is relevant for SMHI thanks to our place in cli-mate-related missions, research and services, says Ralf Döscher head of the Rossby Centre, SMHI, who is part of the organising committee.

The symposium is a collaboration between SMHI, the Bolin Centre for Climate Research and the stra-tegic research areas BECC (Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate) and MERGE (ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system).

Take a look at the preliminary programme

The symposium will open on 15 May 2024 with a plenary session with scientific presentations on fun-damental science, societal needs and challenges and opportunities to address climate change. On the second day, the programme will be divided into parallel sessions covering different topics. The sympo-sium will also feature poster and mingling sessions where the organisers hope to see a lot of interac-tion, networking and new collaborations between participants. Sessions are also planned to facilitate meetings between researchers and policy makers.

The programme offers plenty of opportunities for climate researchers from different disci-plines and the people planning for and dealing with the practical implications of climate change in Sweden to talk to each other.  It’s an exciting chance for us to join the dots and make sure that Sweden’s response to the climate challenge is as agile and well-informed as it can be, says Nikki Brown researcher and science communicator at SMHI.

Submit your contribution by January 18th

If you are a researcher in the climate field and see a session in the programme that sounds interesting, do not hesitate to submit your abstract. Also feel free to tell others in your network about this oppor-tunity. In order for your abstract to be approved, you need to upload it via the Symposium website by January 18th. After that, the selection committee will read all contributions and return with a decision in February.