Policy-briefs

Find here the policy-briefs produced by PROTECT or in collaboration with other projects.


PROTECT policy-briefs

November 2022

When will a 2-metre rise in sea level occur, and how might we adapt?

PROTECT, CoCliCo and SCORE have co-written a policy-brief about 2-m rise in sea level. Read here the key messages and find below the full policy-brief.

A 2-metre rise in sea level is almost inevitable. The uncertainty is on the timing, somewhere between one century and the next two thousand years depending on polar ice sheet melting and which socio-economic pathway we follow. Exceeding 2 meters of sea-level rise will fundamentally change European coastal zones.

Europe and National States can recognize that coastal adaptation is an ongoing process that involves short-term actions, long-term planning and strategic thinking.

Three actions are urgently needed to limit losses, damages and lock-ins:

  • Massive and immediate reductions of greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow down sea-level rise, limit the amplitude of sea-level rise in the long term, thus giving more time and options for coastal adaptation.
  • Engagement into adaptation for multiple metres of sea-level rise, including preparing the ground for adaptation, identifying challenges and options, monitoring trends and implementing options with high cobenefits.
  • Support to science and climate service development to reduce uncertainties in future sea-level rise, assess risks and associated adaptation options and provide useable information and climate services to coastal adaptation stakeholders.

Download a printable version in English

Download a printable version in French


Contribution of PROTECT to other Policy-briefs

12 December 2023

Integrated strategies for climate resilience in EU coastal cities – A joint policy brief from European projects

Download the policy-brief


16 October 2023 – 2-4 pm CEST

Tipping Points in Antarctica: Towards Evidence-Based Policy┃Brussels 2023

The event is co-organized by EU-funded projects TiPACCsOCEAN:ICESO-CHICPROTECT,and the EU Polar ClusterEU-PolarNet 2 and European Polar Board.

More information.


3 May 2023

Recent changes in the Antarctic and their impacts on Europe

More information here

See the recording here

This event is organised by the EPB with Horizon2020-funded EU Polar Cluster projects SO-CHIC, EU-PolarNet 2 with TIPACCS, and PROTECT. The event takes place in the context of increasing pressure on the processes regulating ocean circulation, increased melting of Antarctic sea ice and ice shelves, and increasing scientific awareness of the importance of the region to Europe. Our goal is to present relevant insights to European policy makers on the importance of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic to Europe, for example, via potential input to sea level rise. We aim to highlight the accompanying implications for European policy and Antarctic research.


November 2021

Polar warming, global warning – COP26 EU Pavilion side event

This session was organised by Cluster Members EU-PolarNet 2, SO-CHIC, PROTECT, TiPACCs and the EPB, and representatives from the Alfred Wegener Institute, British Antarctic Survey, the Université libre de Bruxelles, and the University of Grenoble.

Presentations

TopicPresenterInstitute
How does the European research policy support polar research and international assessments such as the IPCC?Larisa LorincziEuropean Commission
Sea level rise: what is at stake beyond 2°C?Prof. Frank Pattyn – PROTECTUniversité libre de Bruxelles
How much can we limit losses from the ice sheets this century?Dr. Tamsin Edwards – PROTECTKing’s College London
Antarctic biodiversity under pressure: a race against timeAsso. Prof. Bruno DanisUniversité libre de Bruxelles
Tipping points and sea-level riseProf. Ricarda Winkleman – PROTECTPotsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Polar science highlights policy needsProf. Dame Jane FrancisDirector of the British Antarctic Survey

The recording of the event is available to rewatch here: https://youtu.be/5JKaoyiISHM