Publish Date: 03.07.2020
Category: Interdisciplinary research, Our contribution to sustainable development goals,
Sustainable development goals: 13 Climate action (Indicators)
The Slovenian project RESCCCUE (“REminding Slovenian authorities Climate Change Crisis requires Urgent Effort”) received the media award from the European Meteorological Association for its efforts in communicating to and raising the awareness of the public regarding climate change.
The project was promoted by four young Slovenian meteorologists and climatologists: Žiga Zaplotnik, PhD (University of Ljubljana), Lina Boljka, PhD (Colorado State University), Nina Črnivec (Slovenian Environment Agency) and Aljoša Slameršak (Autonomous University of Barcelona). Through this project, the former students of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Ljubljana are striving to enhance the scientifically justified planning of climate policies and climate literacy at all levels of society.
The project members have connected over 100 leading Slovenian scientists (meteorologists, climatologists, oceanographers, physicists, biologists, chemists, geographers and others) and composed an open letter to Slovenian state institutions entitled “Request by Slovenian researchers to adopt immediate measures aimed at mitigating climate change and adapting to them”. The letter was responded to by politicians and decision-makers. It inspired numerous additional activities, with which the four young scientists raised the public’s awareness about the climate crisis through the media, social networks, lectures, seminars, schools for students, and so on. In addition to raising the public’s awareness about the climate crisis, the project members promoted the sciences of meteorology and climatology among young people, advocating the faster development of both.
The RESCCCUE project was formally supported by the Slovenian Meteorological Society, which noted upon the project’s nomination by the European Meteorological Society that the results stem entirely from voluntary work. Because the fight against the climate crisis is one of the greatest global challenges, the project continues. The four members of the RESCCCUE team would like their actions to encourage scientists and researchers from European countries to interconnect and become more actively involved in the daily discussion on climate change.
The four award-winning young Slovenian meteorologists and climatologists
Photo by: UL FMF