Shaping the Future of Climate Resilience: Inside the CROSS-EU Workshop

How can climate science become truly useful for decision-makers?

That was the central question driving the first CROSS-EU stakeholder workshop, where researchers unveiled a new decision support system designed to translate complex climate data into actionable insights.

On 12 May, climate scientists, policy experts, and stakeholders from across Europe gathered online for a hands-on look at the Prototype of the CROSS-EU Decision Support System (DSS)—a tool being built to help decision-makers understand and respond to climate risks spanning multiple sectors and regions.

The workshop offered a first glimpse of four case studies powering the system, each tackling a different climate hazard: heat-related mortality, drought, snow and avalanche risks, and indirect impacts on energy systems.

What Is CROSS-EU Building?

CROSS-EU is a three-year project developing a web-based decision support system. The goal: integrate climate hazard data, socio-economic vulnerability, and sector-specific impacts into a single, accessible platform.

"We want to transform climate science into actionable decision support," explained project coordinator Sorin Cheval. "Climate risks are cross-sectoral and require integrated responses."

The DSS will ultimately serve policymakers, analysts, and stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds—offering both exploratory data visualization and guided "narrative pathways" that answer specific decision-relevant questions.

From Heat Waves to Energy Shortfalls: Four Case Studies in Action

Heat and Health (Czech Republic & Europe)

Aleš Urban, expert from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, presented projections showing how population ageing could double heat-related mortality by century's end under high-emission scenarios—even beyond the effects of warming alone. The DSS prototype lets users click on any region to see future estimates under different demographic and climate scenarios.

Drought Across Central and Southeastern Europe

Liliana Velea, an expert from MeteoRomania, demonstrated how the drought module integrates hazard projections, social vulnerability indices, and land degradation data. Users can explore how drought severity is expected to shift across NUTS-3 regions and compare impacts under different climate pathways.

Snow and Avalanche Risks in the Alps and Carpathians

Dana Micu's, an expert from MeteoRomania, case study showed how avalanche hazard conditions are evolving—with dry avalanche potential declining in many areas, but wet avalanche risks and new high-elevation danger zones emerging. The DSS links these hazards to transport, tourism, forestry, and community exposure.

Energy System Stress

Kristian Nielsen, an expert from WEMC, walked through simulations of Europe's electricity grid under future climate conditions—revealing how compound events (high demand coinciding with low wind and solar) could strain interconnected systems. The tool allows users to explore which countries face the greatest risk of energy shortfalls and when.

Questions from the Room

How do you convince decision-makers to prioritize heat risks when cold-related mortality numbers look so much larger?

The response highlighted that heat impacts are often immediate, with deaths occurring within days of a heatwave, whereas cold-related impacts are more delayed and influenced by other factors such as influenza. Historically, milder winters have reduced some cold-related impacts, while heat-related risks are increasing. It was also noted that heat-related deaths are often more preventable through timely preparedness and response measures.

Is the data resolution sufficient for local decision-making—especially for something like avalanches?

The discussion clarified that the project is designed to support strategic, regional-level decision-making rather than real-time or highly localized forecasting. The tools are intended for medium- and long-term planning at the regional scale, rather than detailed, process-oriented early warning systems.

Is hydropower included in the energy module?

Yes. Hydropower is included in the modelling framework, though it is assessed on a weekly rather than hourly basis to reflect how reservoir operations function. The model also considers different water-use policies and their interaction with climate variability.

What Comes Next?

The DSS is still in prototype phase, with a final public release planned for November 2026. The project team is actively seeking feedback to shape the tool's development—particularly on what questions the system should be designed to answer.

A second workshop is scheduled for 10 June, covering four additional case studies. Sign up for the CROSS-EU newsletter or check the project website for announcements.

Want to help shape a climate decision tool? The CROSS-EU team is collecting input from stakeholders across sectors.

Visit the CROSS-EU website to learn more and stay involved.