On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, a seminar of particular relevance titled “extreme events and climate change: the tomorrow that can no longer wait between technological innovation, planning, and infrastructure” was held in the IONIO Room Misterbianco (CT), Sicilia, as part of the “ECOMED project comfort green expo of the Mediterranean” event. The session, which took place from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM, addressed crucial issues related to extreme hydrological events, such as floods, droughts, and landslides, phenomena that have constantly affected Italy and, in particular, Sicily.

The aim of the seminar was to discuss future challenges related to defense from extreme events and innovative solutions for their management. The interventions were carried out by a varied panel of experts, including university professors, representatives of territorial governance bodies, technicians, and companies. During the event, the activities carried out by researchers from the University of Catania and the Energy Water Agency of Malta as part of the GIFLUID project were also presented, as well as the activities carried out by the University of Catania and the beneficiary municipalities (Paternò, Ragalna, and S.M. di Licodia) for the LIFE SIMETORES project.

Among the relations, there was the one led by Dr. Marzio Melis and Dr. Manuel Sapiano from the Energy and Water Agency of Malta, focused on “Hydraulic risk management and green infrastructures: case studies in Malta”. Another noteworthy intervention was that of Prof. Giuseppe Luigi Cirelli, Prof. Feliciana Licciardello, Dr. Liviana Sciuto, Dr. Giuseppe Filetti, belonging to the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Environment of the University of Catania, who discussed “Nature-based solutions for mitigating hydraulic risk in urban areas: the case study of the Acquicella torrent (Catania)”.