Climate Crisis, Risks, and Disasters

The establishment of the Postgraduate Program (MSc) “Climate Crisis, Risks, and Disasters” in the Department of Geography is the evolution of the successful academic path of the specialization “Management of Natural and Human Disasters” within the MSc “Applied Geography and Spatial Planning”, which operated consistently and successfully for the past twenty years. The transformation of this specialization into an independent postgraduate program reflects not only the sustainability and potential of the endeavor but also the increasing importance of issues related to the climate crisis, risks, and disasters, both academically and socially.

• The new MSc fills gaps in professional knowledge and specialization in sectors of the public, private, and civil society that, due to Climate Change and Greece’s location in hotspot zones for a range of hazards, are proving critical for the resilience and protection of Greek society from environmental and other threats. This is true because the program focuses on postgraduate education and the training of scientists capable of contributing to public awareness and state preparedness regarding extreme events and disaster risks. It also aims to develop plans and actions for risk mitigation, preparedness, and operational crisis response (including those stemming from climate disruptions), as well as post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, and overall security and civil protection. The program is therefore intended to provide advanced training for new scientists or to update the knowledge and necessary skills of those already working in these fields, so that they may serve the needs of central administration, local governments, educational institutions, NGOs, and the Armed Forces with relevant missions and responsibilities.

• The MSc also has a broader societal contribution, as it addresses and introduces considerations or models for the attitudes, behaviors, actions, and choices of societies and their institutions in the face of global challenges brought by environmental changes and the associated risks (e.g., the model of prevention, participation in risk management decision-making, environmental alertness and awareness, nature and ecosystem protection, environmental justice, the right to safety, the model of volunteerism, etc.).

• The program contributes significantly to research as well, paving the way for doctoral dissertations and preparing new generations of researchers in the field of the climate crisis, risks, and disasters. It aims at producing new original scientific knowledge, new applications of existing knowledge, and new political-social practices across all stages of management/governance — from long-term prevention and short-term preparedness to long-term reconstruction.

• The new MSc addresses timely scientific challenges and is in line with the global trend of strengthening postgraduate education and research in this field. This is due to the rapid progression of Climate Change and the limited successes (despite significant technological advancements) in mitigating and addressing the losses caused by disasters — as revealed by statistical data at international, European, and Greek levels.

Today more than ever — with the broader Mediterranean region constituting a hotspot for geophysical and ecological hazards, and especially for climate change and the extreme events it entails — the demand for adaptation and resilience is reinforced, as is the impact of geopolitical crises and conflicts that generate waves of migrants and refugees. Hence, there is a pressing need for producing scientists and professionals specialized in monitoring and remote sensing of extreme events and hazards, damage assessment from disasters, operational research, the drafting of emergency plans, urban planning for risk mitigation, risk communication, housing rehabilitation policies, disaster insurance and compensation schemes, etc. The new MSc responds to these needs through courses on the interpretation and evaluation of natural and human-induced processes that produce climate disruptions, threats, and hazards; the assessment of society’s vulnerability and resilience to these; policies for prevention, crisis management, and disaster recovery; safety institutions and policies; applications of geoinformatics for collecting, managing, analyzing, modeling, and visualizing spatiotemporal data useful in risk and disaster management; and finally, risk governance for protection against extreme natural phenomena, technological hazards, industrial accidents, and environmental threats.