Sustainable Hazard-Informed Economic and Local Development (SHIELD): Understanding Sea-Level Rise Impacts for a Resilient Future

General Overview

SHIELD aims to investigate the socio-economic and ecological impacts of rising sea levels on European coastal communities. The project involves two main goals: 

  1. To produce an in-depth analysis on the effects of sea-level rise (SLR) within partner countries, ensuring local relevance and specificity.
  2. To create an interactive online platform to serve as a dynamic repository for SLR-related research, strategies and educational purposes.

Purpose and Significance

Sea-level rise (SLR) poses significant challenges for coastal socio-ecological systems, affecting businesses, communities, agriculture, housing, ecological networks, and tourism. In response to these pressing issues, the SHIELD project seeks to generate new knowledge on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of SLR.

By advancing our understanding of these impacts, SHIELD aligns with EUniWell’s mission to promote well-being through research, education and collaboration. The project will provide insights that empower coastal communities to adopt sustainable adaptation strategies, while fostering collective action to enhance the resilience and long-term prosperity of European coastal regions. Central to SHIELD is the commitment to informed decision-making and knowledge-sharing as essential tools in addressing the challenges of sea-level rise.

Digital illustration representing a coastal scene with buildings semi-submerged in water with images depicting research activities, e.g. people working around a table, a laptop computor, a map. The text reads "SHIELD. Sustainable Hazard-Informed Economic and Local Development. Understanding Sea-Level Rise Impacts for a Resilient Future"

Implementation Method and Timeline

The project brings together four partner universities: the University of Florence, the University of Cologne, the University of Murcia and Linnaeus University. Methodologically, SHIELD is structured around comprehensive data collection, the development of an online platform, and the dissemination of findings to academics, professionals and policymakers.

The project will progress through the following key phases:

  • Project launch and initial data collection
  • Regional analysis and data synthesis
  • Development of the online platform
  • Preparation of case studies
  • Finalisation of project deliverables and identification of future research directions

SHIELD will run from its launch in 2025 until June 2026, with mid-term and final stakeholder meetings scheduled to coincide with major milestones.
 

Expected Outcomes

The SHIELD project will deliver the following results:

  • Holistic understanding of SLR impacts.
  • An innovative online platform, intended to support research, policymaking and education, fostering community engagement and awareness.
  • Regional insights, providing a nuanced understanding of SLR.
  • Cross-border cooperation, pooling resources for unified and effective SLR responses.
  • New knowledge and skills related to global sustainability issues, academic approaches and career development for PhD and master’s students.
  • Dissemination of original scientific findings and published works through policy briefs, local workshops and seminars.
  • Future research pathways to explore opportunities and develop proposals for additional funding.
     

Further Information

Prof. Federico Martellozzo and his team have developed a dataset to map the projected impact of extreme sea level rise (ESLR) on agricultural production across Europe and North Africa according to five climate scenarios (Baseline, RCP 4.5 and 8.5 for 2050 and 2100) and three risk levels (5th, 50th, 95th percentiles).

Access the dataset here


 

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