PICO
PICO: Fri, 8 May, 08:30–12:30 | PICO spot 1b
Computer games have fascinated people of various ages, ethnicities, professions, and socio-economic backgrounds for roughly three decades now. Since Super Mario has started solving spatial problems in the 1990s, gaming has become increasingly educational and virtual landscapes have become impressively realistic. Game engines have become accessible to non-specialists. They dramatically outcompete the interfaces of conventional simulation models in the visual representation of various types of geomorphic processes. Such processes serve as important background elements in various computer games, and gaming environments are used in risk management, e.g., for training of emergency services or in museums. However, a serious gaming experience focusing on a factually correct, educative, and exciting representation of geomorphic hazards within a broader geographic context is still missing.
We are currently developing a comprehensive physical geography game based on a synthetic virtual world representing all major biomes and geomorphic phenomena, from global to local scales. In this context, we aim to accommodate earthquake, volcanic, landslide, cryospheric, and flood hazards, including their interactions in a logical and educative setup, related to the broad-scale climatic and geo-tectonic situation. For example, stratovolcanoes at subduction zones produce ash clouds and pyroclastic flows, whereas shield volcanoes at hot spots produce lava flows. Equally, there are earthquakes in high-mountain areas triggering landslides impacting glacial lakes or impounding valleys, resulting in outburst floods. As players can move through the world by different means of transport to collect rewards and avoid risks, concepts of exposure, vulnerability and critical infrastructure can be included in the experience.
An important aim of the game is to increase the general and specific knowledge, understanding, and awareness of geohazard processes, and foster interconnected thinking. To our knowledge, no other games offer a comparable educational experience in terms of multiple interacting natural hazards and the related risks. The main target group are bachelor students of geography and related subjects, even though the game can be useful in a broad variety of educational settings. This contribution focuses on the conceptual background, specific layout, and spatio-didactic interconnections of the educational hazard experiences.
How to cite: Mergili, M., Schuller, J., Wolfschwenger, D., and Pfeffer, H.: Geogames and geohazards, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10251, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-10251, 2026.
Flooding is one of the most frequent natural hazards affecting Nepal’s lowland river basins, particularly during the monsoon. Among others, students and children are continuously exposed to these floods, as many schools are proximate to these rivers. Although flood risk awareness is high due to recurrent exposure to flooding incidents and the incorporation of flood education into the school curriculum, there remains a persistent gap in translating this awareness into informed response behavior. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of an immersive Virtual Reality (VR)–based flood preparedness intervention for secondary school students in the Kamala River Basin of Nepal. Over the period of three months, We first (a) organize an orientation session to collect baseline information of the students (b) collect the data on local landmarks and perform drone based mapping along with 360° imagery (c) perform content analysis of national hydrometeorological agency (d) develop a scenario based gamified simulation in Unity 3D tailored for Meta Oculus 3S VR set that was used with controlled group of students aged between 12-16 years. A pre- and post-intervention mapping was conducted with 180 students to assess their knowledge gains in comprehension of flood warning signals, understanding of early warning systems, and recognition of safe evacuation zones. Results show statistically significant improvements across all preparedness indicators following the intervention (p < 0.001) with VR experience. The findings demonstrate the potential of immersive VR tools to strengthen preparedness and behavior in hazard-prone communities and support school-based disaster risk reduction as a complementary risk reduction measure within flood risk management frameworks.
How to cite: Parajuli, B. P., Baskota, P., Paudel, J., and Lekhak, K.: Immersive Flood Education for Effective Risk Communication: Field-Based Testing of Virtual Reality and Gamified Simulations for Flood Preparedness in Terai region of Nepal, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11048, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11048, 2026.
The Netherlands is increasingly exposed to climate-related hazards such as flooding, drought, and heatwaves, which require adaptation across multiple scales. Raising awareness of these risks and of available adaptation options is particularly important in the Dutch context, as research indicates that fewer Dutch citizens believe that climate change will require them to adapt their way of life compared to the European average (European Investment Bank, 2024). Yet effective disaster preparedness must involve diverse stakeholders across all geographical scales, including at the local and household levels. Innovative approaches are therefore needed to support citizens in understanding climate risks, exploring adaptation options, and reflecting on the consequences of individual and collective decision-making under uncertainty. To address this gap, this study uses a serious game to examine individual engagement with adaptation decisions in an interactive setting.
We present Burning Lowlands, a collaborative board game designed to empower citizens to better understand, navigate, and reflect on climate adaptation choices at both household and community levels. Players represent households within a fictional Dutch city exposed to varying climate hazards such as flooding, drought, and heat stress. The game encompasses adaptation cards, a modular board representing spatial risk differences, and controlled randomness to simulate uncertain climate futures. Over multiple rounds, hazards intensify and compound, increasing time pressure and decision complexity. Players must allocate limited individual and collective adaptation resources, such as household-level measures or shared infrastructure investments, while observing trade-offs, cascading impacts, and unequal risk distribution across the city.
The objective of the game is of a collective nature: maintain the city’s livability above a critical threshold across multiple dimensions, such as infrastructure, social well-being, and environmental quality. While individual preparedness influences household outcomes, collective decisions significantly improve city-wide resilience, demonstrating the added value of cooperation under climate risk. Failure to adapt leads to visible degradation of the landscape and reduced capacity to respond to future hazards.
To evaluate the game’s effectiveness as a climate adaptation communication tool, Burning Lowlands is implemented as a controlled experimental intervention. The research design follows a pre-post intervention framework, where participants complete surveys before and after gameplay, measuring changes in climate risk awareness, adaptation knowledge, perceived agency, and willingness to engage in collective adaptation. In-game decisions, outcomes, and interactions are observed to assess how players respond to the intensification of climate hazards, spatially differentiated risks, and resource constraints. This mixed-methods approach enables the evaluation of both learning outcomes and decision-making processes, with the resulting insights directly informing iterative refinements of the game.
By linking experimental evaluation with iterative game design, our research contributes to the development of evidence-based serious games as tools for climate adaptation communication. The findings also contribute to improved approaches for engaging citizens with climate adaptation challenges and communicating the role of collective action under uncertainty.
European Investment Bank: Most Dutch respondents think their lifestyle won’t be affected by climate change despite its growing impact, EIB survey finds, https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2024-432-most-dutch-respondents-think-their-lifestyle-won-t-be-affected-by-climate-change-despite-its-growing-impact-eib-survey-finds (last access: 14 January 2025), 11 November 2024.
How to cite: Mijailović, M., Roos, D., Bos, H., Beumer, I., Dravilas, L., Kenar, Y., and Krasauskaite, E.: Burning Lowlands: A Serious Game to Evaluate Citizen Learning, Communication, and Decision-Making in Climate Adaptation, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-15019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-15019, 2026.
Improving understanding and awareness of natural disaster risks remains a key objective of disaster risk reduction (DRR), particularly in contexts where risk knowledge is limited, unevenly distributed, and where crises reinforce existing vulnerabilities. Innovative approaches to risk education and communication are therefore crucial, not only to engage communities, but also to ensure resilience in conflict-affected contexts.
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), highly interactive educational games—Hazagora (a board game for secondary school students) and Chukuwa (a card game for primary school children)—have been developed and tested as tools for disaster risk awareness. These games aim to facilitate experiential learning, stimulate discussion on DRR strategies, and foster the dissemination of risk knowledge beyond the classroom, particularly through children acting as drivers of communication to their families and friends. This approach lies at the interface between science, policy, and practice, and involves teachers, scientists, and civil protection practitioners.
However, the implementation of these tools has been significantly affected by a deterioration of the security context in the region, limiting field activities and long-term institutional anchoring. This situation has provided an opportunity for critical thinking about the robustness, adaptability, and communication potential of game-based DRR education in fragile contexts. Drawing on several years of interrupted experimentation and implementation, this contribution focuses on the lessons learned regarding contextualization, stakeholder engagement, and integration of such tools into educational systems, with a view to achieving sustainability of these initiatives.
Our research highlights how educational games can serve not only as learning tools, but also enable flexible communication that takes into account uncertainty, institutional constraints, and evolving local realities. These insights inform ongoing discussions on adapting games to new contexts – and, consequently, strengthening their sustainability – thus offering broader perspectives for innovative risk education and communication strategies in crisis-prone environments.
How to cite: Bahati Mutazihara, I., Bakulikira, S., Ndagana, J., Mossoux, S., Kervyn, M., Kervyn, F., and Michellier, C.: Using serious games to communicate disaster risk: Insights from interrupted implementation in Eastern DR Congo, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-23216, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-23216, 2026.
Mountain regions provide an excellent domain to teach complex risk concepts and management strategies to students. They are subject to especially pronounced climate change and a variety of complex hazards cascades. At the same time mountain populations exposed to these hazards are often especially vulnerable due to political marginalization and fragile infrastructure. We have taken the dual challenge of researching and responding to mountain risks and the lack of multidisciplinary teaching on the same to develop course material for students of a variety of disciplines. We do so by including other ways of knowing through external speakers and serious games.
To address this issue, we draw on our recent (2023 - 2025) teaching experiences at Global Awareness Education, which is part of the Transdisciplinary Course Program at the University of Tübingen in Germany. The program offers courses on global issues related to geosciences and beyond, engaging students of all disciplines from both the University of Tübingen and CIVIS (an alliance of 11 leading universities across Europe).
Here we focus on our two recent courses ‘Asking those who feel it - local and indigenous knowledge on climate change’ and ‘Climate Risk in vulnerable mountain regions of the world’ which were implemented in both online and in-person formats. These courses introduce students to climate risks in mountain regions, how they are addressed and the role of local and indigenous knowledge in the formulation of both research and response measures. These objectives are achieved using serious games and through interactions with knowledge holders and those researching in the domain. This provides a means to immerse students from a wide range of backgrounds in the topic and challenge them to approach the topic with critical thinking.
We assessed students’ learning using questionnaires before and after the course. Feedback suggests that different proficiency levels on certain topics (such as climate models, international relations, ethnographic methods) among students presents potential drawbacks but at the same time provided the potential for peer-to-peer exchange. Co-developing teaching materials with both academic and non-academic partners allowed for active student participation, particularly through sharing of personal experiences. This has proven especially helpful when teaching students from different generations about topics that are directly linked to activities they may be involved in (e.g., engagement through Fridays for Future or Gen-Z role in bottom-up policy making).
In this presentation, we will share results from student questionnaires as well as our observations from interactions with students during interactive exercises. We will discuss the challenges we faced and our plans for a more dynamic integration of current UN and intergovernmental negotiations in the domain of mountain risks into teaching material developed for higher education.
How to cite: Steiner, J. F. and Mohadjer, S.: Asking those who feel it - indigenous knowledge on climate risks in mountains: Transdisciplinary teaching to enhance student engagement, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18840, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18840, 2026.
Within the context of global change, disasters are increasing in frequency and magnitude with rising complexity, while risk landscapes are continuously reshaped by various types of hazards, societal developments and pathways. Climate change, urbanization, and geopolitical dynamics are only some factors contributing to transboundary risks that challenge conventional Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and Civil Protection (CP) approaches. These challenges require well-trained DRM and CP professionals with the capacity to operate not only across sectors but also beyond national borders to deal with, reduce or ultimately avoid potential impacts and losses.
Therefore, within the EUMA project (Creating a EUropean Higher Education Network for MAster’s Programmes in Disaster Risk Management), funded under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism / Knowledge for Action in Prevention and Preparedness, the postgraduate Master’s programme “International Disaster Management and Civil Protection” has been developed to strengthen professional capacities in disaster response and recovery as well as prevention and preparedness. In times of digitalization, new options and pathways have emerged to expand the access to DRM and CP education, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and podcasts.
Building on these developments, the follow-up project EUMAplus aims to develop open-access educational materials for professionals and experts within Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection, ensuring long-term accessibility to such open-access resources. This significantly contributes to advancing DRM and CP, thereby increasing resilience to disasters. This contribution presents selected digital teaching formats, planned to be created within EUMAplus and discusses how these resources will be created and adapted to the needs of respective stakeholders. EUMAplus directly supports the Preparedness Union Strategy, particularly Key Action 15, which emphasizes integrating preparedness into education and training systems.
How to cite: Sternath, S., Fröwis, A., Marr, P., and Glade, T.: EUMAplus: Digitalization of educational materials for Disaster Management and Civil Protection experts and professionals , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10535, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-10535, 2026.
Disaster education remains unevenly accessible in many low-resource and disaster-prone contexts, where formal training opportunities are limited, and non-structural risk reduction measures are often under-prioritized. In the Philippines, particularly, the challenges of an archipelagic setting and the physical inaccessibility of higher learning institutions restrict options for building DRR capacity. We present an experiential analysis of designing and delivering disaster education at scale through the Fundamentals of Resilience MOOC Series in the Philippines, reframing large-scale open online courses as both educational interventions and risk communications strategies.
Drawing on mixed quantitative and qualitative data from multiple course offerings, alongside reflective documentation of iterative design decisions, we examine how abstract disaster risk reduction concepts are communicated within an open learning environment that brought together both domain experts, including DRR practitioners and educators, and highly diverse non-specialist learners. Non-expert participants ranged from students to workers in security, custodial service, and call center roles, creating a learning space with wide variation in prior knowledge, professional relevance, and familiarity with risk concepts. Particular attention is given to the communication of core ideas such as the components of disaster risk and the framing of disasters as socially constructed rather than purely natural phenomena. Changes in learner-generated definitions of resilience, visualized through keyword analysis, illustrate the conceptual shift in understanding across this heterogeneous audience.
We further explore what participation and engagement look like in open disaster education contexts. Engagement with the MOOC was non-linear and selective, calling into question the assumption that completion is the primary indicator of meaningful learning. While interactive activities and digital tools supported engagement and exploration, they also introduced new limitations, including superficial and AI-generated responses that complicate interpretations of participation and effectiveness at scale. These patterns highlight enduring tensions between innovation, accessibility, and meaningful engagement in disaster education.
Through the integration of experiential reflection, a risk communication lens, and empirical insights into learner participation, we present that MOOCs function as adaptive infrastructures for shaping public understanding of disaster risk rather than static courses to be completed. The findings and reflections contribute to ongoing debates on how innovative educational approaches can support inclusive, scalable open education in resource-constrained settings.
How to cite: Mendoza, M. M. L., Tan, G. C., and Ybañez, R. L.: Advancing Disaster Education and Risk Communication through the Fundamentals of Resilience MOOCs in the Philippines, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-22773, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-22773, 2026.
In this presentation, we share preliminary results from a Service-Learning (SL) course that explores uncertainties related to natural hazards and appropriate communication strategies for strengthening dialogue between science and society. The SL format enables a transdisciplinary form of collaboration, allowing students to put into practice their acquired knowledge on hazards, impacts and communication strategies by working closely with the local museum (Stadtmuseum Tübingen) to create prototypes of exhibits to engage the public with the topic.
The course was piloted in the winter semester 2025/2026 at the University of Tübingen, Germany. It brought together instructors and students from Geosciences, Rhetoric, Media Studies, and other fields to address questions like (1) how do challenges of natural hazards affect Tübingen and its residents, (2) what is done to prepare for and deal with related risks, and (3) how can we create an active dialogue between science and society to foster a better understanding of related uncertainties?
Students explored these questions through a combination of literature and archival research, direct interactions with local experts and stakeholders, and visits to local sites where protection measures are implemented. They also collaborated with the Stadtmuseum to explore effective ways to engage the public with local hazards and related uncertainties. The course final output were students’ prototypes for exhibits that were tested in a public event for community feedback.
Using a questionnaire, we assessed students’ perspectives on their skills acquisition, knowledge and their levels of confidence to contribute more effectively to the integrated work needed to strengthen dialogue between science and society. In this presentation, we share these results together with community feedback, and discuss some challenges we faced in course implementation, and offer potential solutions to these challenges.
How to cite: Mohadjer, S., Pelzer, M., Dietrich, P., Szymanska, G., and Schneider-Pérez, I.: Fostering Civic Engagement on Natural Hazard Uncertainty: A Service-Learning course to create an active dialogue between science and society, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1824, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1824, 2026.
The GEOMME partnership for Geohazard Mitigation, Management, and Education is an international collaboration between research institutes and universities in Norway, Japan, and South Korea. The partnership aim has been to enhance resilience to climate-driven geohazards through collaborative research and education. The project is funded by the Research Council of Norway (pnr 322469) with a duration from September 2021 to December 2026. A main objective of GEOMME has been to initiate collaborative activities that improve the collective ability of the partner countries and institutes to respond to current and emerging disaster risk management challenges to climate-driven geohazards through knowledge exchange and research-based education.
Over the past four-years, the GEOMME partners have developed and hosted four education packages focused on different aspects of climate-driven hazard and risk management. The education packages were structured as modular courses, addressing: (i) geohazards and risk in a changing climate (hosted in Tromsø, Norway in 2022), (ii) large-scale hazard and risk assessment (hosted in Niigata, Japan in 2023), (iii) monitoring, modelling, and early warning (hosted in Daejeon, South Korea in 2024), and (iv) sustainable and nature-based mitigation strategies (hosted in Florence, Italy in 2025).
Each education package consisted of a digital pre-study module followed by a two-week intensive course. The pre-study modules were used as a level-setting tool for participants with different academic backgrounds prior to attending the courses. The intensive courses combined field- and research-based training and scenario-driven learning. A key objective of the in-person activities was to bring together an international group of students, practitioners, researchers, and educators.
The aim of this contribution is to: (i) share the developed educational material and present the GEOMME partnership as a potential model for international, research-based geoscience education and (ii) reflect on key lessons learned related to interdisciplinary teaching and the transferability of this approach to other contexts.
How to cite: Gilbert, G. L., Capobianco, V., Piciullo, L., Issler, D., Yamaguchi, S., Ito, Y., Tanabe, T., Nishii, R., Niiya, H., Kwon, T.-H., Park, J.-Y., and Yune, C.-Y.: Educating for Climate-Driven Geohazard Mitigation and Management – Experience from the GEOMME International Partnership in Norway, South Korea, and Japan, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18278, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18278, 2026.
The complexity of modern environmental challenges requires a new generation of professionals capable of acting as a bridge between companies, public institutions, and the territory. Traditional academic curricula often struggle to integrate the hard sciences with the regulatory and technical skills required by the labor market. To address this gap, the University of Calabria has developed the 2nd Level Master’s degree in "Methodologies and Techniques for Environmental Protection and Management" (META).
This contribution presents the pedagogical structure and the educational objectives of the Master’s program, now in its second edition. The course is designed to train "Environmental Technicians": polyhedral professionals able to manage the interactions between anthropogenic activities and ecosystem components. The curriculum adopts a strong transdisciplinary approach, integrating modules on environmental geochemistry, geothermics, and water treatment, with petrography, geobiology, and mineralogy.
A distinctive feature of the program is its focus on specific geo-environmental health hazards, including dedicated modules on Asbestos and Health and Natural Radioactivity/Radon, which are often overlooked in standard degree courses. These theoretical foundations are combined with advanced technical training in data processing, geostatistics, and Spatial Analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) , as well as a comprehensive overview of European and Italian environmental legislation.
The teaching methodology utilizes a mixed-mode approach (blended learning) to facilitate professional development. The program culminates in a mandatory internship (part of the 1500-hour workload) within companies, ensuring that students can directly apply acquired skills—such as designing monitoring networks for water, soil, and air pollution, and planning remediation interventions —in real-world scenarios. We discuss the outcomes of this educational model as a case study for higher education in geosciences.
This work is funded under the Territorial Agreements for advanced training in companies (Art. 14 bis, paragraph 2, of D.L. 152/2021) – CUP H22C24000120001
How to cite: Apollaro, C., Fuoco, I., Vespasiano, G., and Bloise, A.: Bridging academic training and professional practice in environmental protection: the multidisciplinary approach of the "META" master’s degree, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17341, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-17341, 2026.
The increasing frequency and complexity of geo-environmental hazards demands a new generation of professionals skilled in translating geoscientific expertise into actionable strategies for Disaster Risk Management (DRM). To bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the practical, regulatory needs of the labor market, the University of Calabria (Southern Italy) developed the 2nd Level Master's degree in "Methodologies and Techniques for Environmental Protection and Management" (META). This contribution presents the pedagogical model of META as a case study in higher education for DRM. The program is designed to train "Environmental Technicians" polyhedral professionals capable of managing risks at the interface between anthropogenic activities and ecosystems. Its transdisciplinary curriculum integrates foundational geosciences (environmental geochemistry, geothermics, petrography) with targeted modules on specific geo-environmental health hazards, such as "Asbestos and Health". This knowledge is pivotally applied to the management of Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA), a central and cross-cutting topic in the Master's curriculum. NOA, common in ophiolitic rocks, can release fibers into the environment through weathering, contaminating water an exposure pathway historically overlooked in favor of airborne fiber monitoring. Waterborne asbestos poses a significant risk due to its potential for transfer to air in domestic, public, and occupational settings. While the health effects of inhalation are well-established, the absence of a consensus on a safety threshold for water underscores the urgent need for the specialized skills the program provides. The Master's addresses this complexity in an integrated manner, training students in the field identification of potentially friable rocks, laboratory analysis, modeling of fiber dispersion, and risk assessment within the regulatory framework, thereby filling a critical educational gap. The program is fundamentally practice oriented, combining blended learning with a mandatory internship. During this placement, students apply key skills like designing pollution monitoring networks and planning remediation to real-world environmental risk scenarios. We present this structure, which integrates science, technical skills, and regulation, as an effective model for building a workforce capable of supporting disaster risk management. This work is funded under the Territorial Agreements for advanced training in companies (Art. 14 bis, paragraph 2, of D.L. 152/2021) – CUP H22C24000120001.
How to cite: Bloise, A., Fuoco, I., Vespasiano, G., and Apollaro, C.: Addressing Complex Geo-Environmental Risk: Integrating Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) Management into a Professional Master’s Curriculum, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17725, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-17725, 2026.
Effective communication of complex geoscience events, such as cascading natural hazards, is challenging, particularly when addressing non-technical audiences. This study explores an approach used to raise awareness among younger generations by co-creating an interactive visualization of cascading hazards associated with landslides. The Göta River valley in Sweden is a region highly susceptible to landslides and was used as a case study for engaging upper secondary school students (ages 17–18) in a series of workshops between 2020 and 2024. The workshops combined lectures on cascading landslide dynamics with participatory activities to elicit students’ perceptions, emotional responses, and preferences for communication formats.
The study integrated descriptive scenario-building, interaction design, and scrollytelling techniques to create a digital visualization prototype of potential cascading natural hazards. Students contributed to the development of a descriptive scenario illustrating a plausible cascade chain of events triggered by prolonged precipitation, leading to erosion, landslides, and secondary impacts such as flood waves and upstream and downstream flooding. Insights from the workshops informed the development of a storyboard design and content, emphasizing students’ needs for clarity, concise text, and hopeful messaging. The visualization prototype was implemented using a proprietary web design tool and supplemented with AI-generated illustrations to visualize potential cascading natural hazards in the case study area.
Results indicate that co-creation enhanced engagement and comprehension. Students valued interactive scrollytelling and multimedia elements as complements to traditional static risk maps. Survey responses from the final evaluation workshop showed that 86% of participants found the resulting visualization prototype to be an engaging way to learn about cascading natural hazards, while 78% considered the descriptive scenario easy to follow. Students were eager to learn more about several areas including responsibilities, impacts, and actionable solutions. They valued visual clarity and emotional resonance in the prototype. Critiques highlighted the need for more realistic imagery, even more concise text and interactive elements, and suggested future improvements such as the addition of a glossary.
This study demonstrates the potential of participatory visualization tools to complement conventional hazard communication, encouraging inclusivity and resilience by making complex cascading natural hazard processes accessible and compelling for youth audiences.
How to cite: Van Well, L., Göransson, G., Sall Vesselényi, L., Backhans, G., Bergdahl, K., Hedfors, J., and Löfroth, H.: Communicating Cascading Natural Hazards through Co-Created Visualization with Youth, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11693, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11693, 2026.
Disasters associated with natural hazards are a shared and recurring experience across the Philippines, shaping everyday life, schooling, and community decision-making. This contribution presents an experiential approach to hazard and risk education that combines non-digital, hands-on classroom demonstrations with selective digital visualization tools to support conceptual learning of hazard processes and exposure among school-aged learners.
The approach was first launched in the Philippines in September 2024 through a national teachers’ workshop conducted by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute in collaboration with the Durham University Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience and the UP National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development. The workshop brought together more than 50 secondary school science teachers from 26 schools across Luzon, including the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, and CALABARZON, providing a testbed for approaches intended to be scalable across the Philippines. Participants engaged in facilitated demonstrations and small-group activities, and were provided with take-home demonstration kits and slide decks that integrate the activities directly into their existing lesson materials. Following this initial rollout, the program continues to be delivered to both primary and secondary school teachers and students, with at least two additional implementations scheduled within 2026.
Educators are positioned as facilitators of learning, supported by low-cost, accessible, and scalable teaching tools suited to hazard-exposed, resource-constrained contexts. Activities include demonstrations of atmospheric pressure, seismic wave propagation, friction and compression forces, liquefaction, mass wasting, and earthquake mechanics using stick-slip and shake-table models. All activities are designed for replication using locally available materials and alignment with national science curricula, with emphasis on co-production, inclusivity, and adaptability across age groups.
The case demonstrates how blending simple physical demonstrations with targeted immersive tools can foster deeper understanding and appreciation of hazard processes, stimulate classroom discussion on risk, and support resilience building by establishing schools as the primary entry point for hazard knowledge that students carry into their homes and communities.
How to cite: Ybañez, R. and Malamud, B. D.: Low-Cost and Accessible Approaches to Natural Hazard Education in Secondary Schools, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-22914, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-22914, 2026.
The NATRISK project is an international project, financed by Research Council of Norway (project number 337241), aimed at strengthening risk management and societal resilience to natural hazards in steep terrain through integrated research, education, and innovation. The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute is the coordinator of the project that has a budget of circa 1M euro a duration of 5 years. By connecting expertise from Brazil, India, and Norway, the project enhances the capacity of research institutions, universities, and public agencies to better understand natural hazards, quantify risk, communicate uncertainty, and improve disaster risk governance. NATRISK addresses key challenges related to multihazard processes, cascading effects, and the increasing influence of climate and demographic change on risk, while promoting knowledge exchange, mobility, and capacity building across partner countries (https://www.ngi.no/prosjekter/natrisk/).
This contribution presents the midway achievements of the NATRISK project and demonstrates how transnational collaboration generates knowledge and tools with relevance beyond the participating regions. The project is structured around four thematic pillars focusing on: (i) understanding natural hazards and multihazard interactions, (ii) quantifying and assessing risk, (iii) mitigating, perceiving, and communicating risk, and (iv) managing disaster risk and enhancing resilience. These pillars are supported by integrated education packages combining online modules, intensive courses, and field-based training, complemented by cross-pillar initiatives such as joint supervision, co-teaching, stakeholder engagement, and innovation activities.
Key activities to date include the implementation of Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 training programs. Pillar 1 activities, hosted in Norway (Oslo and Bergen area), combined lectures, practical exercises, and field excursions to enhance understanding of landslides, earthquakes, avalanches, floods, and climate-driven hazards in steep terrain. Pillar 2 activities, conducted in India (Delhi and Roorkee area), focused on qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods, integrating exposure, vulnerability, and future climate and demographic change, and included extensive field visits to geotechnical and seismotectonic sites in the Himalayan region. These activities facilitated hands-on learning, cross-country comparison, and interaction with local experts and authorities.
Overall, the NATRISK project demonstrates the value of practice-oriented international collaboration for advancing natural hazard understanding and risk assessment while strengthening education and capacity building. The approaches, tools, and training frameworks developed within NATRISK provide transferable methods for improving disaster risk reduction and resilience in high-risk environments worldwide.
How to cite: Piciullo, L. and Gilbert, G. L.: Halfway through the NATRISK project: Enhancing risk management and resilience to natural hazards in India, Brazil and Norway through collaborative education, research and innovation, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-3894, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-3894, 2026.
Effective communication on natural hazards is essential for building resilient communities, reducing risk and economic losses. Traditional outreach methods often struggle to engage diverse audiences, bridge the gap between science and practice, and facilitate informed decision-making.
In Italy, where over 684,000 landslides are recorded, 1.28 million inhabitants, 582,000 families, 742,000 buildings (4% of the total amount), 75,000 industrial and service facilities, and 14,000 cultural heritage sites are exposed to landslide risk, enhancing public awareness is a critical societal challenge.
The IdroGEO platform (https://idrogeo.isprambiente.it) was developed by ISPRA in 2020 to address the challenge of communication and dissemination of information on landslides and floods in Italy. IdroGEO is an innovative, easy to use, free access, open data, open source, and multilingual web application (IT, EN, FR, DE) recently enhanced with new data and tools within the GeoSciences IR research infrastructure financed by European Union NextGenerationEU. IdroGEO allows you to view, query, download, and share maps, data and reports of the Italian Landslide Inventory, national landslide and flood hazard maps, risk indicators and in situ landslide monitoring systems. The main users are decision-makers, urban and land use planners of central and local public administrations, researchers, rail and road companies, banks, insurance companies, professionals, and citizens.
IdroGEO has been built with a responsive web design approach to ensure usability and satisfaction on various devices, from minimum to maximum display size. This was particularly challenging due to the complexity of the data to be visualized on an interface user-friendly and understandable for a general audience.
Among the latest developed tools, the “AI-powered Virtual assistant” engages users in natural language dialogue, providing tailored explanations and answering questions about landslide and flood risks. The “Check the hazard” tool allows citizens and companies to obtain basic level information on landslide and flood hazards in a 500 m buffer area from their home, economic or productive activity, or a place of interest subject of a future investment. The “Scenario calculation” tool returns the elements exposed to landslides and floods on a polygon drawn on the map. These tools are designed not only to inform but also to actively involve users in understanding risk, thereby narrowing the gap between perceived and real risk. With over 305,000 users and 17 million page views since its launch, IdroGEO has demonstrated significant public engagement, including nearly 30% of traffic from mobile devices.
Within the RESILIENT Project “Risk Evaluation and Smart Implementation of Landslide monItoring by citizen Engagement and New Technologies” funded by Fondazione Cariplo, IdroGEO platform will be used for the involvement of local communities through citizen science initiatives, to improve the dissemination of hazard and risk information, increase the community awareness and promote proactive risk reduction strategies. IdroGEO exemplifies how digital innovation can transform hazard communication, foster inclusive engagement, and contribute to building a more resilient society.
How to cite: Iadanza, C., Trigila, A., Romeo, S., Dragoni, A., Biondo, T., and Di Muro, F.: The IdroGEO web platform: an innovative tool for landslide hazard and risk communication in Italy, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-16481, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-16481, 2026.
One of the main obstacles to natural risk reduction is the effective communication of risks to stakeholders and the public. Although numerous instruments, models, and platforms can be integrated, the lack of common protocols and standards often requires ad hoc adjustments. This contribution presents PAER (Piattaforma Acquisizione ed Elaborazione Rischi - Risk Acquisition and Processing Platform), a newly developed web platform within the Tech4You project - Technologies for climate change adaptation and quality of life improvement, funded under the Next Gen EU framework. PAER is characterized by an extremely flexible structure that can collect data from multiple sources, including variable-time-series data, rasters, and images.
The PAER framework is a service dedicated to risk acquisition and processing, designed to store and manage heterogeneous types of data, both temporal and spatial. The platform can integrate information from ground-based monitoring networks and outputs generated by complex computational models. The service is essential for visualizing and storing environmental variables and for monitoring critical areas, thereby supporting advanced analyses and timely decision-making.
PAER targets a wide range of stakeholders, both public and private. Owing to its ease of use and flexibility in customizing data-entry methods, the service is accessible to a range of users, each with different needs and levels of expertise. Users can configure a comprehensive data-validation workflow, including automated alerts, to ensure that all collected information is accurate and reliable. The optimized database structure enables fast and efficient queries, even when managing large datasets, ensuring smooth performance. Additionally, the system supports automatic data acquisition through APIs, simplifying integration with external sources and streamlining data flow management.
The experimental validation involved multiple pilot projects across different domains. PAER successfully integrated datasets from hydrological monitoring and flood-risk assessment, including cosmic-ray neutron sensors for soil moisture estimation, pedestrian flood instability maps, and intelligent camera data from urban areas. The platform also managed in situ observations from piezometers, soil moisture probes, and meteorological stations, combined with weather forecasts produced by numerical models at regional and seasonal scales. Furthermore, PAER integrated wildfire-monitoring data, including intelligent camera imagery, regional risk maps, and automatically collected CO2 sensor measurements from forest mountainous areas. Additionally, the platform incorporates a Decision Support System (DSS) for agriculture based on the AquaCrop model, which automatically leverages other information already present in the platform and can be highly customized by users to meet specific agricultural management needs.
The experimental results confirm that PAER provides a robust, unified environment for integrating, storing, and analyzing different environmental datasets, demonstrating its suitability for multi-domain, multi-scale environmental risk monitoring applications. The platform's flexibility and scalability make it an ideal candidate for broader adoption in environmental risk management worldwide. Future developments will focus on expanding the range of integrated data sources and applying PAER to additional natural-hazard scenarios across diverse geographical contexts, thereby fostering international collaboration and knowledge sharing in risk assessment and mitigation.
How to cite: Mendicino, G., De Rango, A., Furnari, L., and Senatore, A.: PAER: A new web platform for acquisition, storage, processing, and visualization of natural risks, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17229, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-17229, 2026.
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 highlights education, public awareness, and knowledge sharing as key priorities for strengthening disaster risk governance and building resilient societies (UNDRR). In this context, effective disaster risk reduction requires not only advances in scientific knowledge, but also sustained science-society interaction, inclusive risk communication, and long-term engagement strategies.
For about 20 years, the LARES Association - Italian Union of Civil Protection Experts, has been actively committed to promoting a culture of prevention and safety, bridging scientific expertise, civil protection institutions, volunteers, and citizens. LARES operates with the aim of translating scientific knowledge on natural hazards into accessible information and practical behaviours, in line with the Sendai Framework’s emphasis on education and capacity building.
LARES adopts a multidisciplinary and participatory approach, focusing on the co-production of knowledge and on educational pathways tailored to different audiences: students, educators, volunteers, professionals, and the general public. Its activities combine formal and informal education, experiential learning, and innovative communication tools to enhance risk awareness, preparedness, and individual and collective responsibility.
A cornerstone of LARES’s educational outreach is “SicuraMente Lab”, an interactive programme designed for secondary schools and universities, which has trained around 10,000 students, involving more than 70 schools and approximately 100 volunteer trainers. The project integrates workshops, hands-on activities, web platform, and expert contributions to introduce civil protection principles, multi-hazard scenarios (earthquakes, floods, landslides, and fires), and self-protection measures, fostering critical thinking and risk literacy among younger generations.
LARES also plays an active role in “Io non Rischio”, the national awareness campaign coordinated by the Italian Civil Protection Department. Through engagement in public spaces and digital formats, trained volunteers disseminate scientifically validated information on natural hazards and preparedness practices, promoting dialogue, trust-building, and shared responsibility between institutions and communities. To date, dozens of events have been organized in 9 regions, reaching thousands of people.
Public engagement is further strengthened through “Terremoti d’Italia”, an itinerant exhibition combining scientific content, historical memory, and interactive communication to explain seismic processes and promote preventive actions. Since 2007, around 30 editions have been organized in Italy and abroad with the participation of LARES volunteers.
Innovation in risk communication is a key element of LARES’s strategy. The “Sisma VR” project, a virtual reality earthquake simulation, immerses users in realistic scenarios to enhance understanding of seismic risk and appropriate response behaviours through the use of commercial VR headsets.
In addition, the popular videogame “Minecraft” has been exploited to develop a flood risk scenario in urban area using familiar digital environments to engage younger audiences, encouraging preparedness through play and simulation. The Minecraft-based scenario will soon be published on the Minecraft Education platform, making it available to teachers and educators worldwide.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how education-oriented, science-based communication and stakeholder engagement can effectively support the diffusion of prevention and safety culture. The LARES experience provides transferable practices aligned with the Sendai Framework priorities, contributing to informed, aware, and resilient communities.
How to cite: Romeo, S. and Calabrese, D.: Innovative Tools for Disaster Risk Education: Twenty Years of LARES Initiatives in Italy, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19045, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19045, 2026.
Effective hazard and risk communication requires not only the transmission of scientific knowledge but also the cultivation of curiosity, empathy, and purpose among future scientists. This contribution presents Behind The Science Podcast as a low-cost, scalable, and human-centered communication platform that advances resilience education by highlighting the personal stories, motivations, and challenges of scientists working on environmental and societal risks. The podcast is co-presented with the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), whose mandate to advance interdisciplinary resilience research, education, and public engagement makes it a natural institutional partner.
Rather than focusing solely on technical results, Behind the Science emphasizes the lived experiences behind resilience research—how scientists navigate uncertainty, field realities, and community engagement. This narrative-driven approach makes complex topics such as climate change, food security, fisheries sustainability, and disaster risk more relatable, particularly to students and early-career audiences. By foregrounding the human dimensions of science, the platform fosters early interest in resilience-oriented careers and encourages young listeners to see themselves as future contributors to solutions.
The podcast is produced in collaboration with The Philippine Agricultural Scientist, The Philippine Journal of Fisheries, SciEnggJ, and UPRI, and is distributed via Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts, with short-form clips adapted for social media. With approximately 100–150 listeners per episode, 19,000 Facebook followers, 6,000 YouTube subscribers, 1,800 Spotify followers, and growing audiences on other platforms, it demonstrates the viability of digital media as a complementary educational tool.
We argue that UPRI’s role as a co-presenter strengthens the podcast’s credibility, interdisciplinary scope, and alignment with national resilience goals. By combining institutional expertise with accessible storytelling, Behind The Science shows how digital platforms can raise early awareness of hazards and inspire the next generation to engage with resilience as a deeply human and socially relevant challenge.
How to cite: Lagmay, A. M. F., Flores, P. C., and Ybañez, R.: From Data to Stories: Human-Centered Podcasting for Hazard and Risk Communication, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-23036, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-23036, 2026.
The Canary Islands are the only region in the Spanish national territory exposed to volcanic risk, as evidenced by the 18 historical eruptions occurred during the last 600 years and the hundreds of Holocene eruptions. The recent Tajogaite eruption at Cumbre Vieja volcano (La Palma, Canary Islands) must represent a turning point in the volcanic risk management in the Canary Islands, despite the progress achieved over the past 25 years toward reducing volcanic risk in the archipelago.
This new direction should be developed through a Canary Strategy for Volcanic Risk Reduction; an operational framework designed to address and respond to the challenges that the Canary Islands face as a consequence of volcanic risk. Such a strategy should act as a driving and coordinating mechanism among the various sectoral policies, while also fostering awareness and engagement among citizens, businesses, and public administrations.
We present the results of a workshop designed for media professionals and journalists, who conducted a SWOT analysis of their sector with the aim of contributing to volcanic risk reduction in the Canary Islands. A total of 25 communication professionals (from television, radio, print media, and other outlets) from across all the islands participated in this exercise.
The results reveal a solid set of strengths, including the increasing experience of journalists in covering volcanic emergencies, the widespread availability of technological tools that enable rapid and far‑reaching communication, and enhanced coordination with institutional communication offices during crises. The media’s ability to translate complex scientific information into accessible language, counter misinformation, build public trust, and monitor compliance with public commitments also emerges as a key asset.
However, the internal analysis also highlights several significant structural weaknesses, including limited specialised training in volcanology and risk management, the absence of internal verification and coordination protocols during emergencies, and insufficient human and material resources. These weaknesses are further exacerbated by an increasing reliance on sensationalist or clickbait‑oriented approaches. Additional challenges include inadequate media familiarity with emergency plans and volcanic risk management tools, as well as information fragmentation associated with the archipelago’s double insularity.
In the external analysis, the principal threats are linked to the proliferation of fake news, information overload, the absence of scientific consensus during crises, tensions between the media and authorities, and the influence of political and economic interests. Conversely, several relevant opportunities emerge, including the development of communication policies grounded in transparency, direct access to the scientific community, the existence of specific regulatory frameworks, specialised training programmes for journalists, and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The workshop highlighted the crucial role of journalists as intermediaries between scientific institutions, emergency authorities, and the general public. Participants recognized that communicating about volcanoes in the Canary Islands is not only a matter of scientific accuracy but also of cultural understanding, memory, and community care. Their active engagement underscored the potential of communication to contribute meaningfully to risk reduction, particularly by fostering trust, promoting early‑warning culture, and encouraging responsible behaviour during volcanic crises.
How to cite: Luis-Méndez, T., Rodríguez, Ó., Pérez, N. M., D'Auria, L., Hernández, P. A., and Leal-Moreno, V. J. and the Participants in the SWOT analysis for the Media and Journalism sector: The role of media and journalism in volcanic risk reduction: insights from the Canary Islands , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17490, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-17490, 2026.
