The UIMP will host a summer course focused on climate resilience, through the figure of Iñigo Losada, research director of IHCantabria

José Manuel Campa, Soledad Núñez, César Cernuda and the minister Sara Aagesen, are some of the prominent figures who will participate in this course

From July 9 to 11, the Palacio de la Magdalena will host, in Santander, the celebration of the course entitled “Santander and Cantabrian creators: Iñigo Losada. Building climate resilience with science and innovation”, proposed by the Plaza Porticada Cultural Association and the Santander City Council, within the framework of the Summer Courses of the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP).

This course will focus on the analysis of one of today’s great global challenges: the capacity of societies to adapt and respond to the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. From an accessible but rigorous perspective, it will analyze how science, technology and innovation can generate tangible social impact in such strategic fields as climate change adaptation, coastal protection or the design of resilient infrastructures.

The guiding thread of this analysis will be the impact of the scientific work developed by Iñigo Losada, as professor at the Universidad de Cantabria (UC), research director of the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of the Universidad de Cantabria (IHCantabria) and international reference in climate science and coastal engineering. Other distinguished experts will participate in this course as guests, through keynote lectures, presentations and round tables, to reflect with the attendees on how scientific knowledge can guide the formulation of public policies, business decisions and technological innovations in the face of the climate crisis.

Multidisciplinary programming with scientific, institutional and business impact

The programming of this course is directed by two UC professors: Raúl Medina Santamaría, managing director of IHCantabria, and Javier López Lara, head of the Climate Risk, Adaptation and Resilience Group of the same institute.

The opening ceremony of the course, on July 9, will be chaired by Gema Igual, Mayoress of Santander; Elena García Botín, President of the Plaza Porticada Cultural Association; and Mar Marcos, Vice Chancellor of Coordination and Communication of the Universidad de Cantabria. “Does the European Union have a resilient financial system in the face of climate change?”, is the title of the paper that will kick off the course, which will be presented by José Manuel Campa, president of the European Banking Authority, who will also discuss the challenges and opportunities of the “Spanish banking system in the face of climate change”, together with Soledad Núñez, deputy governor of the Bank of Spain, at a table that will be moderated by María Losada, manager specializing in banking and financial systems. Afterwards, César Cernuda, global president of NetApp; Guillermo Franco, general manager of catastrophic risks at Guy Carpenter; and Xavier Labandeira, professor of Applied Economics at the University of Vigo, will intervene.

On July 10, Raúl Medina will give a lecture entitled “Íñigo Losada, building climate resilience with science and innovation”. This will be followed by a round table discussion on “R+D+i in climate resilience in IHCantabria”, moderated by Javier López Lara, with the participation of Joaquín Tintoré ─director of the Coastal Observation and Prediction System of the Balearic Islands (SOCIB) and Alejandro Malaespina─ National Research Award, Borja González Reguero ─ Associate Professor of Coastal Science and Policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz─, José A. Juanes ─catedrático of the UC and director of Strategies of IHCantabria─ and César Díaz Maza, president of Autoridad Portuaria de Santander.

In the afternoon, a presentation by María José Sanz, director of the Basque Center for Climate Change (BC3), and a round table on “The role of civil engineering in the face of climate change” are scheduled, in which Íñigo Losada and Valentín Alfaya, director of Sustainability at Ferrovial, will debate under the moderation of Daniel Castro, director of the ETSI of Roads, Canals and Ports of the UC.

On the last day, Thursday, July 11, Gonzalo Sáenz de Miera, corporate director of climate change and alliances at Iberdrola; Joaquín Pérez de Ayala, head of business at Low Carbon, Técnicas Reunidas, and Pelayo Losada, partner in the industrial area of the Boston Consulting Group, will give their presentations. The three experts will then debate at a round table entitled “The private sector at the crossroads of a change of trend in climate policies”, moderated by Raúl Medina.

The course will end with a dialogue on the scientific, social and political implications of the climate transition, with the participation of Íñigo Losada and Sara Aagesen, Third Vice-President of the Spanish Government and Minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

Recognition of a scientific career with global impact

With a double PhD from the University of Cantabria and the University of Delaware (USA), Íñigo Losada has developed pioneering and globally relevant studies, from risk analysis in ports and infrastructures to the role of coastal ecosystems in climate change mitigation. His contribution has been key in the design of national and international public policies, in collaboration with entities such as the World Bank, the United Nations or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), where he participated for a decade.

In addition to his research work, Losada has promoted strategic projects, such as the creation of IHCantabria or the Great Tank of Maritime Engineering of Cantabria. His multidisciplinary approach and his commitment to knowledge transfer have consolidated a network of scientific collaboration of global scope. The excellence of its trajectory has been recognized with the main national science and environment awards, such as the National Research Award “Leonardo Torres Quevedo” or the Rei Jaume I Award. Internationally, he stands out as the only non-US engineer awarded the J.G. Moffat-F.E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award since its creation in 1977, in addition to having received the highest awards from the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering (IAHR) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Registration for this summer course is still open.

The registration period for this course is still open on the official website of the UIMP. This is a course that can be recognized as continuing education for teachers, for the teaching staff of the centers that teach the teachings regulated in the Organic Law 2/2006, of Education.

More information: https://bit.ly/4l3gvZB