Legal Information Center organized a seminar titled “For whom the bell tolls: Are we ready for climate change?” This seminar delved into crucial topics such as climate change, water management, flood safety, sustainable land-use planning, climate resilience, and climate action.
Held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at the EU House in Ljubljana, the event drew an audience of approximately 50 attendees.
The seminar featured ten speakers who shared insights on various aspects of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Andrej Gnezda, the director general of the Directorate for Climate Policy, kicked off the discussions by outlining the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Energy’s strategies to tackle climate change. This was followed by presentations on flood safety development by Petra Repnik from the Slovenia Water Agency and on evolving water management practices by Dr. Barbara Čenčur Curk from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering.
Dr. Maja Simoneti from the institute IPoP addressed spatial governance, while Dr. Žiga Malek from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna highlighted the impacts of inefficient land use, particularly on food production.
Nataša Stritih from Stritih, Consulting for Sustainable Development d.o.o., discussed climate resilience and the EU Adaptation Mission, while legal experts Dr. Maša Kovič-Dine from the Faculty of Law and Aljoša Petek from PIC explored the legal aspects of climate change, including significant litigation cases and policy frameworks at various levels.
Student activist Maša Cvetežar emphasized the importance of a just transition, and Dr. Tjaša Pogačar from Biotechnical Faculty shared insights on adaptations necessary for crop production in the face of climate change.
The seminar concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Aljoša Petek, featuring insights from Andrej Gnezda, Petra Repnik, Dr. Maja Simoneti, Dr. Barbara Čenčur Curk, and Maša Cvetežar. The discussion revolved around Slovenia’s role in climate action and its potential to set higher targets than those mandated by the EU.
The seminar proceedings were recorded and are available online. These activities were carried out as part of the Discussions and Actions on Climate and Environment (DACE) project, in collaboration with the Justice & Environment network.