The LIFE SIRIUS project, which focuses on developing a cutting-edge system for integrated environmental information in urban areas, has had a strong presence at several prestigious international conferences in 2024, showcasing its latest research findings and innovative methodologies aimed at tackling environmental challenges in urban spaces.
Donatella Occhiuto from ARPA Lazio presented at the Second Symposium for Young Chemists (SYNGC 2024), held from 24–28 June at Sapienza University in Rome. Donatella presented a poster titled “LIFE SIRIUS: A System for Integrated Environmental Information in Urban Areas”, which demonstrated the role of integrated data systems in improving environmental policies and urban planning. The event fostered collaboration among young chemists and researchers from various environmental sectors, providing a platform for Donatella to highlight the environmental management benefits that the LIFE SIRIUS project can offer to urban communities.
The LIFE SIRIUS team took part in the prestigious Annual Meeting of the European Meteorological Society (https://ems2024.eu/), held in Barcelona from September 2-6, 2024, showcasing the project’s innovative tools and findings during multiple conference sessions. Specifically, Dr. Katiana Constantinidou of the Cyprus Institute’s Climate & Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) also contributed significant research with her presentation, “Exploring Urban Climate Seasonal Dynamics over Cyprus with WRF Model: Implications of Urban Parameterizations”, Katiana discussed findings from the LIFE SIRIUS project related to urban climate dynamics, emphasizing the impact of urban planning and parameterization on climate models in Mediterranean regions. This session, focused on Cities and Urban Areas in the Earth-Atmosphere System, provided valuable insights into how cities like Nicosia are influenced by urbanization in the context of climate change. Dr. Theo Economou and Dr. Daphne Parliari presentations mostly focused on LIFE-SIRIUS results regarding the interplay of heat, cold, and air pollution and implications for premature mortality in Mediterranean cities in the session dedicated to Human Biometeorology. Notably, the SIRIUS poster (led by Dr. Economou) from last year received the Outstanding Poster Award 2023 in a special ceremony, highlighting the project’s continued excellence.
Meanwhile, Corey McClintock from the Cyprus Institute participated in the 18th Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Risks, held from 30 September to 3 October 2024 in Chania, Greece. Corey presented collaborative research with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), assessing the anthropogenic emissions, pollutant concentrations, and synergetic effects of exposure to adverse thermal and air pollution conditions. This work, conducted in the framework of LIFE SIRIUS, presented results over Cyprus, where Nicosia is one of the Mediterranean urban environments featured in the project. The work highlighted the need for a multi-sectoral approach to address Mediterranean risks in the face of climate change, particularly focusing on public health and societal impacts.
Finally, Dr. Jonilda Kushta presented some important results from LIFE SIRIUS in the workshop “Climate Change and Health in the Urban Environment’ that was part of the workshop series preceding the Climate Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (https://emmeclimate2024.cyi.ac.cy/). This international conference brought together a very broad spectrum of key stakeholders, including scientists, academicians and policymakers, as well as political and civic leaders, evolving in a region that is widely recognized as one of the principal climate change “hot spots” of the world. Dr. Kushta’s presentation highlighted the significant context of LIFE SIRIUS in which heat and air pollution conditions are holistically assessed towards the quantification of attributable premature mortality, both expected to exacerbate in the near future.
Further to the above communication and dissemination activities, the CARE-C researchers also participated in the Researcher’s Night event (https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/actions/msca-citizens/join-a-celebration-of-science). In this pan-European event, universities and research institutes across Europe open their doors and share their work through presentations, experiments, games, discussions and other interactive formats, helping bring research and researchers closer to the public, promote excellent research projects across Europe and beyond and increases the interest of young people in science and research careers. In Cyprus, CARE-C emission specialists Corey McClintock and Marios Christoforides prepared and presented interactive games that help the general public and young students understand the greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions from anthropogenic activities and their impact on health and the environment, supported by a presentation demonstrating spatialized applications and relevant research projects.
These international presentations underscore the LIFE SIRIUS project’s vital role in providing integrated environmental data to improve policy and management decisions, supporting sustainable urban development in regions with complex environmental challenges. The project’s participation in these events helps promote the importance of scientific collaboration and the dissemination of innovative solutions for climate resilience in cities.