Wildfires are becoming a growing challenge for metropolitan regions as rising temperatures, drier conditions and changing landscapes increase the likelihood of severe events.
In this episode of the CARMINE podcast, Stephen Flynn from the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network speaks with Eleftheria Exarchou from Mitiga Solutions and Guillem Canaleta from the Pau Costa Foundation about how Barcelona can prepare for a hotter, drier future.
Understanding tomorrow’s wildfire risk
Although the future cannot be predicted with complete certainty, climate modelling can help identify the conditions that make destructive wildfires more likely and show how fire could spread across a landscape.
The conversation explores how researchers and practitioners are combining climate models, digital twins and local knowledge to build a more detailed picture of future wildfire risk across the Barcelona metropolitan area.
This allows communities and decision-makers to look beyond historical patterns and prepare for conditions that may be very different from those experienced today.
From climate intelligence to local action
The episode also looks at the practical measures that can reduce wildfire risk, including prescribed burning, grazing and nature-based land management.
Machine learning and digital tools can strengthen this work, but technology is only one part of the response. Local organisations, public authorities and communities also need to participate in deciding which measures are appropriate and where they should be prioritised.
Through stakeholder-led Living Labs, the CARMINE project brings these perspectives together and helps translate scientific insight into practical resilience planning.
About CARMINE
CARMINE is an EU-funded project developing Climate-Resilient Development Pathways for metropolitan regions across Europe. The project connects climate science with local knowledge and decision-making to help regions prepare for changing climate conditions.
