Climate change is only one of the many environmental strains placed on our planet, but it has become the symbol of a transgenerational and irreversible process when compared to the human time scale, and it entails great efforts as far as mitigation and adaptation are concerned. Our civilisation has to face a momentous challenge, which combines unexpected climate scenarios with overpopulation issues, shortage of natural resources with accumulation of waste that the biosphere cannot metabolise.
Hardly accepted at the cognitive level, the climate change issue is not addressed with the proper urgent and effective corrective actions.

The seminar entitled :“Climate change, individual and collective resiliencies: getting ready for the future” will take place on March 9, 2012 in the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.

The Speaker of the event will be 
Luca Mercalli, head of the Italian Meteorological Society, established in 1865. He founded the “Nimbus” magazine and published a number of scientific works on the climate and glaciers as well as popular articles in “la Repubblica”, “La Stampa”, “Donna Moderna” and “Gardenia”. Since 2003 he participates in Che Tempo che Fa (Rai3) by introducing his short but incisive comments on the state of the planet and society. During the last twenty years Luca Mercalli explained and reported on the climate and energy crisis in more than a thousand conferences open to the general public, together with seminars in schools and universities. He has published several books, among the latest: Le mucche non mangiano cemento (Sms 2004), Filosofia delle nuvole (Rizzoli 2008), Che tempo che farà (Rizzoli 2009), Viaggi nel tempo che fa (Einaudi 2010) e Prepariamoci (Chiarelettere 2011). Luca Mercalli lives and works in Val di Susa, in a small house with garden that is powered by solar energy.

Introduced by
Carlo Carraro – Director, International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG), President, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) and Director Climate Impacts and Policy Division, Euro Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC)