Successful Meeting Highlights Key Strategies for Climate Resilience

Key Takeaways:

1. Public Support for Climate Resilience: Success in achieving a climate-resilient environment will depend significantly on creating a strong public support base. This involves clear messaging and engaging the community at all levels. The importance of binding more students to the project was also noted.
2. Engaging Citizens: Participants underscored the importance of bringing citizens to their side, also when they support political extremes. Strategies discussed included providing more details but also highlighting the threats of climate change in a more targeted way. Effective communication tailored to specific target groups, including young people, was a recurring theme. 
3. Water Resource Management: Discussions focused on the efficient management of water resources at various scales, from farms to cities and tourist-based economies. The conflicting needs at different scales were acknowledged as a challenge. The impact of varying national regulations on farmers was a concern, with discussions on how to navigate these uncertainties for a stable future.
4. Science and Truth: While science is the pursuit of truth, the meeting highlighted the need for practical changes and effective communication to implement scientific findings.
5. Governance and Actor Analysis: Conducting actor analysis to develop effective governance strategies was identified as a key step. This might enable also approaching different allies, such as insurance companies or financial institutes.
6. Long-Term Perspective: A long-term perspective is essential to guide both short-term and long-term actions. The meeting stressed the need for clear messaging in an environment full of uncertainties.
7. Cultural Exchange and Collaboration: The diversity of approaches, disciplines and cultures in different countries was taken as a great opportunity for learning and collaboration. Sharing problems and solutions helped clarify common challenges. This included also exchange on innovative research methods, such as the use of tracers and the exchange of information on SkyTem technology, or experimental workshop formats such as a constellation exercise for drinking water protection.