As cities face rising temperatures, urban forests are emerging as a practical tool for climate adaptation. Urban forests for climate change adaptation: nature-based solutions to reduce urban heat islands, the second session in the EFI Biocities webinar series, explores how on 30 September (17:00–18:30 CET).
The session brings together global perspectives, practical case studies, and scientific expertise from three speakers: Eleni Myrivili (Global Chief Heat Officer, UNEP/Cool Coalition), Ana Sousa (Landscape Architect, Laboratório da Paisagem, Guimarães), and Fabio Salbitano (Professor, University of Sassari).
Organised in collaboration with the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) and moderated by Simone Borelli (EFI), the 90-minute session includes three presentations, a moderated panel, and live Q&A.
https://efi.int/event/efi-biocities-webinar-urban-forests-climate-change-adaptation
More about the speakers:
Dr. Eleni Myrivili is the Global Chief Heat Officer for UNEP/Cool Coalition and the Atlantic Council's Climate Resilience Center, and sits on the Boards of the EU Mission Adaptation and the WEF's Global Risks Report. She previously served as the City of Athens' elected Deputy Mayor for Urban Nature, Urban Resilience and Climate Adaptation. Her heat resilience advocacy has earned international recognition, including being named among Nature's 10 people who helped shape science in 2023, and she delivered the first TED talk on extreme heat and city resilience. A former university professor, she holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Columbia University.
Ana Sousa holds a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, and currently works as a Landscape Architect at the Laboratório da Paisagem in Guimarães. Her work focuses on the planning, recovery, and restoration of river ecosystems, urban integration and management, and the design of green areas in urban and rural settings.
Fabio Salbitano holds a PhD in Forest Ecology and is a Professor at the University of Sassari, teaching silviculture, urban tree systems, urban ecology and biodiversity, and the sustainable design and management of urban and peri-urban forests. His research spans forests, health and wellbeing, urban heat islands and thermal comfort, urban agroforestry, ecosystem restoration, and nature-based solutions. A co-creator of the World Forum on Urban Forests and co-editor of the book "Transforming Biocities", he has been actively involved in FAO Urban and Peri-Urban Forestry programmes since 2001 and coordinates the scientific committee of the AlberItalia Foundation.
English, British