Online | 9 June 2026 | 10.30 am – 12.00 pm CEST

During EU Green Week 2026, on 9 June, experts and stakeholders from three flagship Horizon Europe projects – SPARCCLE, CROSSEU, and ACCREU – will discuss the critical intersection of a nature-positive economy and climate risks. With Europe advancing the implementation of the EU Green Deal, EU Climate Law, and Mission Adaptation, it is increasingly clear that the transition to a sustainable future requires a holistic understanding of how biodiversity loss compounds socioeconomic and financial vulnerabilities. This webinar aims to bridge the gap between advanced climate risk assessment and actionable economic policy.

Key Objectives:

• Quantify the economic burden of biodiversity loss and its interaction with extreme climate hazards.
• Demonstrate synergies between nature-positive strategies and climate mitigation/adaptation efforts.
• Inform decision-making for EU and national authorities by presenting high-resolution, policy-relevant data products.

Target Audience: This session is designed for EU and national policymakers (including DG CLIMA and the JRC), representatives from the finance and insurance sectors (e.g., NGFS), scientific researchers, and civil society actors engaged in climate and nature advocacy.

Agenda

Moderator: Edward Byers (IIASA, SPARCCLE Project Coordinator)

Welcome and Introduction

10:30 – 10:40 | SPARCCLE, CROSSEU, ACCREU

Keynote Presentation

10:40 – 10:55

• Andrej Ceglar of the European Central Bank (ECB) will discuss the systemic implications of biodiversity for climate transitions and financial stability.

Project Talks

10:55 – 11:40

• Zoi Vrontisi (E3Modelling, SPARCCLE project) will present new insights into how biodiversity risks manifest within the broader economy, drawing on results from leading macroeconomic CGE models such as GEM-E3.
• Kirsten Halsnæs (Danish Technical University, CROSSEU project) presenting on measuring socioeconomic impacts of climate hazards in European hotspots for Drought, Heat, Storms, Floods and sectoral spillovers.
• Gemma Gerber (IIASA, ACCREU project) presenting on “Shifting Supply, Moving Demand: An Ecosystem Service Evaluation of Pollination in Europe’s Field Crops”.

Moderated Panel Discussion and Q&A

11:40 – 12:00

The session will conclude with a panel discussion, inviting a dialogue between scientists, policymakers, and practitioners on the characteristics of societal transformations required for a nature-positive and climate resilient transition.

About the projects: SPARCCLE, CROSSEU, and ACCREU are Horizon Europe funded research projects dedicated to understanding the socioeconomic risks of climate change in Europe. Running between 2023 and 2027, they are developing novel insights on climate risk and adaptation in Europe.