Advanced Research Workshop on Security, Climate Change and Urban Resources

The SECCURE workshop (Security Enhancement for Climate Change impacting Urban Resources) was held at the National Research Council of Italy in early July, supported by the NATO/OTAN Science for Peace and Security Program. The topics covered in the workshop spanned from the causes of vulnerability in the water, energy and food systems resulting from climate change to the proposal of new solutions for the application of circular economy for a safer society. The complex interaction between water/energy/food resources, health and migratory flows was a central topic of discussion. The workshop provided a networking opportunity for leading experts in multidisciplinary fields for the preparation of future large-scale proposals and collaborative activities.

Professor and researcher Henrique Matos talked about strategies to improve energy efficiency at an industrial level, such as Process Integration, for the ambitious yet crucial goal of creating a net-zero greenhouse gas emission-based economy. To this end, he highlighted how the nexus water-energy is particularly relevant, because these are two of the most important resources for our society. Implementing measures which can optimize water and energy use in industrial processes is a milestone on the road to sustainability.