Climate change

At the conference, climate change adaptation and wildfire experts from governments and public agencies, as well as from academia and the private sector discussed recent insights into wildfire risks as well as the extent to which policies have been able to address emerging challenges, such as the impacts of climate change on wildfire patterns.

Organised by the OECD, in collaboration with PLACARD, the European research platform on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction, this meeting was organised as part of the activities of the OECD Joint Adaptation Task Force.

Agenda and session topics

Access the full agenda and list of speakers and the list of session topics below:

• What is – or will be- the new normal in wildfires?
• Understanding the socio-economic costs of wildfires
• Aligning public policy to effectively manage wildfires
• The role of innovation and technology in wildfire management
• California’s experience in responding to wildfire risk
• Effective risk transfer mechanisms for wildfire management
• Science and policy gaps and options for further work

Presentations

Day 1

Session 1

1. Colin Prentice, Professor Biosphere and Climate Impacts, Imperial College London - Wildfire and climate change- a hazy outlook?
2. Richard Thornton, Chief Executive Officer, Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centres, Australia - Wildfire in Australia
3. Joaquìn Bedia Jiménez, Professor, Santander Meteorology Group, University of Cantabria - Investigating fire-climate interactions under a changing climate
4. Cristina Santin, Senior Lecturer, Biosciences, University of Swansea - Global fire: perceptions, realities, ways forward

 Session 2

1. John Handmer, Risk Program, IIASA, Vienna & School of Science, RMIT University, Australia - Wildfire impact in the "new normal"
2. Volker Radeloff, Professor, Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin – Madison - Wildfires and the Wildland-Urban Interface
3. Shawn McCoy, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Nevada - Wildfire risk, salience, and housing development in the Wildland-Urban Interface
4. Robert Muir-Wood, Chief Research Officer, Risk Management Solutions - California Wildfire Risk Modelling

Session 3

1. Tiago Oliveira, Director, Agency for the Integrated Management of Rural Fires (AGIF), Portugal - Wildfires in Portugal
2. Gavriil Xanthopoulos, Institute of Mediterranean & Forest Ecosystems, and Member of the Independent Committee on Perspectives of Landscape Fire Management in Greece - Evolution of the forest fire problem in Greece

 Session 4

1. Akli Benali, University of Lisbon, Portugal - Improving decision-making in wildfire suppression: where science meets practice
2. Daniele Sempere-Torres, Direcotr of Center of Applied Research in Hydrometeorology, universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Barcelonatech - Çlimatic emergencies: Operational decision support tools for emergency management centres
3. Jesus San-Miguel, Joint Research Centre, European Commission - Advanced technologies for wildfire monitoring at European and global scales
4. Johann Georg Goldammer, Director, Global Fire Monitoring Center & Professor, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany - Innovative approaches in enhancing governance and interoperability in landscape fire management: interagency and international

Day 2

Session 5

1. Matthew Eagle, Head of Global Model Solutions and Advisory, Guy Carpenter - Effective risk transfer mechanisms
2. Gerry Lemcke, Head of Product Management, Public Sector Solutions, Swiss Re -  Adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfires
3. Tara Laidman, Associate Vice President, National Product Portfolio, The Co-operators - Adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfire risks

Session 6

1. Roundtable discussion on science and policy gaps and options for further work - Adapting to a changing climate in the management of wildfires