“Climate Adaptation and Risk Management”
Online Conference – December 12, 2025 – Sustainable Cities – Sustainable Communities
The online conference of the SUSCOMNET project (www.suscomnet.com) „Climate Adaptation and Risk Management” was successfully held on Friday, December 12, 2025, starting at 9 a.m. At the event, domestic and international experts from the twin-city network – Gyula, Zrenjanin (Nagybecskerek), Komárom, Covasna (Kovászna), Wągrowiec, and other partners of the network – discussed the everyday, municipal-level challenges of climate change, with special attention to issues of preparation, prevention, and community resilience.
One of the most important messages of the conference was that climate adaptation is not merely an environmental issue: it simultaneously affects the local economy, public services, health, education, mental well-being, and community cohesion. Accordingly, the SUSCOMNET project strengthens a cooperation framework in which settlements do not react to risks in isolation, but rather share best practices with each other, coordinate their attitude-shaping activities, and, through joint thinking, make policy goals "translatable" into local actions.
Following the opening, in the first session, Dr. Tamás Szilágyi (University of Pécs, KPVK) analyzed the critical dimensions of AI-based risk management, Tamás Baranyai, biologist and certified medical biotechnologist, described the biological aspects of climate adaptation, while Edit Hajnal, certified human resources consultant and project coordinator, focused on the mental well-being of resilient communities. A common theme emerged from the presentations: technological tools are useful, but they work effectively only when paired with transparent decision-making logic, local data, and social trust.
Dr. Dudok Fanni (Szegedi Tudományegyetem JGYPK) presented the role of educators in intergenerational climate dialogue, Péter Jelenfi (University of Pécs, Doctoral School of Philosophy) dissected the relationship between environmental humanities and climate memory, while Zsolt Péter Függ (President of the Eurotender Association) discussed the social foundations of consumption, alternative hedonism, and community resilience. These presentations confirmed that one of the keys to long-term adaptation is the change in values and habits: a more sustainable lifestyle can be presented not as a sacrifice, but as a more livable, healthier, and more community-oriented vision of the future.
The further presentations of the conference approached the topics from the perspectives of settlement planning, green spaces, forest and landscape management, local production, and the measurability of climate risks. Balázs Nagy-Laczkó (PhD student, University of Pécs) discussed the interpretation of trees as subjects, Lajos Puskás (forest engineer) described change management in forestry, Ferenc Pomázi (President of the Gyula Traditionalist Farmers and Garden Friends Circle) explored the future of fruit growing in the climate, Péter Szabó (KÖVIZIG) addressed territorial adaptation, Annamária Pálinkásová (Komárom) presented the city's climate scan, Dr. Lucián Liviusz Olteanu (Gál Ferenc University) analyzed the risks of climate anxiety appearing in youth, and finally, Dr. Ágnes Keresztesi (Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda) analyzed the evolution of meteorological parameters between 1960 and 2024 in a Romanian context.
The participants highlighted numerous practical tips and best practices that can be adapted for other settlements: municipal-level tools for shading and reducing the heat island effect, the role of green-blue infrastructure, the significance of local food self-sufficiency and landraces, the importance of risk communication and public engagement, as well as the increasingly urgent aspects of protecting mental health. A recurring idea in the presentations was that good responses to climate change typically yield a "double benefit": they not only reduce risks but also support more livable public spaces, stronger communities, and more predictable local operations.
The second half of the day concluded with a twin-city workshop, discussing ideas and best practices. The goal of the workshop was to ensure that the expert knowledge could be translated into the language of municipal operations: identifying the feasible, measurable, and partnership-driven steps that yield results in the short term, yet strengthen the long-term climate adaptation trajectory.
The joint work of the SUSCOMNET project so far—from strengthening network cooperation to knowledge sharing—shows that cross-border relationship building creates real added value: proven solutions spread faster, the necessity of "re-planning separately" decreases, and the capacity of settlements grows not only to manage climate risks but also to mitigate them with a preventative approach, community participation, and on a partnership basis.
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