Taking a green step: Técnico Lisboa hosts Unite!WIDENING conference

At the “Mission restore our Ocean and Waters” conference, several partner universities gathered with Instituto Superior Técnico to discuss ocean protection and the transition to a blue economy.

The main ideas discussed and outcomes of the conference highlighted the importance of the Blue Economy for Portugal’s socio-economic context, as well as the need for strengthened collaborative research in areas such as monitoring of marine ecosystems and coastal zones; ocean climate change and its impacts; marine exploration; robotics; naval economy; combating pollutants in inland and coastal areas; impact on water supply and water scarcity. Portugal has an important role to play, aligning with major European partnerships, such as the Ocean Clusters network. The ocean and the Blue Economy are key areas of PT2030, fostering joint opportunities for research and innovation.

The Unite!WIDENING project is co-funded by the European Union and started in January 2024, conceived as part of the European University Alliance – Unite!. It aims to amplify the visibility of scientific excellence of the participating partner universities through increasing and interconnected cooperation with the major societal challenges embedded in the Missions.

The European Union’s mission “Restore our oceans and waters” by 2030 aims to protect and restore the sustainability of our oceans and waters through research and innovation, citizen participation, and investments in the Blue Economy. The Mission’s new systemic approach addresses the ocean and waters as a whole, playing a fundamental role in achieving climate neutrality and nature recovery, with objectives such as:

  •       protecting and restoring marine/freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030;
  •       preventing and eliminating pollution of our oceans, seas, and waters in line with the EU Action Plan for Zero Pollution of Air, Water, and Soil;
  •       making the Blue Economy carbon-neutral and circular, in line with the proposal of the European Climate Law and the holistic vision enshrined in the Strategy for Sustainable Blue Economy.

On March 22nd, the “Mission restore our Ocean and Waters” conference marked the ecological path that Técnico Lisboa aims to take. The Unite!Widening project will organize this year at least two other conferences, the “Mission Cities” at the Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and the “Mission Adaptation to Climate Change”, during the months of May and June.

 

To learn more about the Unite!WIDENING project, visit the website.

 

#unitewidening #climatechange #blueeconomy #oceansprotection

#tecnicolisboainternational #tecnicolisboa #aschoolfortheworld #ulisboa

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