Raising public awareness on the impact of air pollution, climate change and high temperatures and activating citizen collaboration in the face of environmental challenges is the aim of the I-CHANGE Day Barcelona, scheduled for 5 June, World Environment Day. The initiative, which is part of the European Union's Green Week, is being promoted by the Social Innovation Laboratory (Living Lab), directed by María del Carmen Llasat, professor in the Department of Applied Physics, director of the Group for the Analysis of Adverse Meteorological Situations (GAMA) and member of the Water Research Institute (IdRA) of the University of Barcelona.
Specifically, I-CHANGE (Individual Change of Habits Needed for Green European Transition) is a European project of the Horizon 2020 programme that aims to involve citizens in the challenges of climate change, sustainable development and environmental protection within the framework of the European Green Pact, the European Climate Pact and the European Biodiversity Strategy 2030.
From climate change to air pollution
During the next I-CHANGE Day, in each of the eight living labs in different cities - Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bologna, Dublin, Hasselt, Genoa, Jerusalem and Ouagadougou - citizen science activities will take place, including tours of the most relevant places in the city around each community. The idea is to understand how extreme temperature episodes affect different neighbourhoods, reflect on these issues and identify strategies and behaviours to better coexist with these new conditions.
"The philosophy behind this project is that we can know and learn better through citizen participation, and that knowledge motivates us to change and adopt increasingly sustainable behaviours. The I-CHANGE Day will also allow the UB research group to process and analyse data at a high resolution, which will facilitate an exchange of information with the people who collaborate," says Professor Llasat.
