The Swedish Climate Symposium was organized by SMHI together with the strategic research areas MERGE and BECC, and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research. The event, the first of its kind, brought together a total of 600 participants in Norrköping.
The symposium focused on climate change and its consequences for Sweden, with researchers from different institutions and expertise in the various areas of climate science. Covering aspects from the scientific basis to the effects of climate change, as well as mitigation and adaptation.
During the three days of the symposium there was room for discussions and exchanges of knowledge and experiences, with the goal of promoting collaboration to strengthen the role of climate research.
"It is important to have a symposium like the Swedish Climate Symposium to put the work and results of researchers in a broader perspective. The climate issue is complex and research results need to be put together to get a more complete picture. As SMHI researchers, we also want to highlight SMHI's role in Swedish and international climate research," says Ralf Döscher, head of the Rossby Centre at SMHI, who is part of the organising committee for the symposium.
Three busy days
The three days of the symposium offered different contents. On the first day, HRH Crown Princess Victoria attended the opening ceremony and took part in a discussion with SMHI's Director-General Håkan Wirtén and climate scientists. The sessions during the day were based on the conclusions of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report (IPCC AR6). The research underlying the IPCC reports was presented by scientists who had been involved in various ways in writing the different chapters.
Between the sessions, about fifty researchers showed their research on posters both on the first and second day. The poster sessions, as well as the evening's dinner, provided the perfect opportunity to interact and establish new contacts.
The second day of the symposium consisted of 12 parallel sessions with presentations followed by Q&A sessions.
"An immediate reflection after the conference is that Swedish climate research has a great breadth, which we at SMHI can use in collaborations to create more societal benefit, e.g. through shared interpretation of climate data and shared development with specialists across disciplines throughout the country", says Ralf.
From research to policy
Day three was specifically dedicated to popular science sessions and dialogue with the wider community. This was an opportunity for the media, politicians, social actors and researchers to meet. Among other things, the importance of science-based policy decisions on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures to limit climate impacts was discussed.
"After day three of the conference, which focused on communicating the results of climate research to the public and for decision-making, I think we can feel confirmed in further developing our message to society", adds Ralf.