The summer of 2026 is drawing to a close, revealing a worrying outlook, both in terms of the accelerating pace of climate change and our level of preparedness to deal with extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, and forest fires. A dominant feeling among many members of the scientific community is that of not having been sufficiently heard, and of a growing gap between scientific evidence and decision-making.
What assessment is the Belgian scientific community making of this summer regarding Belgium's level of preparedness for climate change? What are the most urgent changes that need to be set in motion, and what are the key messages that scientists wish to convey to the public and authorities? How to strengthen the individual and collective impact of messages conveyed by the scientific community, and how to ensure that decision-makers fully grasp the scale of the climate crisis and address this issue with the necessary ambition and sense of urgency?
As the summer ends, we wish to open an interactive and interdisciplinary space for reflection and debate around these questions so that interested researchers, who are eager to play an active role in society, can break out of their isolation, share their experiences, and potentially consider more collective responses.
We are pleased to invite you to the special seminar "Summer 2026: a wake-up call?", which will take place at the Belgian Climate Centre (Av. Circulaire 3, 1180 Uccle) on 12 October 2026, from 2 pm to 5 pm (participants will be welcomed from 1.30 pm; the seminar will begin at 2 pm sharp).
This seminar is part of the Belgian Climate Centre’s “Science for Climate Action” seminar series.
The seminar program will be available soon on the registration page
