On October 16, 2024, our Chief Science Officer, Associate Professor Robert Kopal, PhD, had the honour and privilege of being an invited keynote speaker at the Croatian Days of Security 2024, having held the lecture titled “Climate Security – Causes and Consequences.”
Climate change exacerbates food, water, and livelihood insecurity, triggering cascading effects such as heightened competition for natural resources, social disruption, and displacement. These dynamics can lead to increased tensions, conflicts, and instability in specific countries or regions. The concept of climate security focuses on understanding how the climate crisis impacts peace and security.
The Key Focus of the Lecture Dr. Kopal’s work on this lecture began a year ago, with a core goal of answering critical questions about the points where climate and environmental challenges intersect with security.
The event was organized by the Croatian Association of Security Managers, which also announced the lecture.
The core premise of the lecture underscores that climate security is about the impacts of the climate crisis on peace and security, particularly in fragile, conflict-affected settings.
It explored three key dimensions:
1) Climate Change: Security Climate change exacerbates food, water, and livelihood insecurity, with cascading effects such as increased competition for resources, social unrest, and displacement. These factors can lead to heightened tensions, conflicts, and instability in countries or regions.
2) Security: Climate Change In conflict-affected areas, the impacts of climate change can intensify or prolong conflicts, making peacebuilding and stability more challenging.
3) Security: Climate Change Conflict can disrupt or obstruct climate action, including destruction of critical resources (energy, water, agriculture) or delaying mitigation and adaptation efforts.
To help navigate the lecture, here are key timeline markers:
What is climate security?
Common climate-induced risks to peace and security
Data-driven insights
Jablanica disaster and a potential ecological challenge in Croatia
WEF 2024: Current risk landscape
What will the climate feel like in 60 years?
Global risks interconnection map
Climate security & climate change interplay
Beyond the Eye of the Storm: Pathways to security implications
Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) insights
Somalia famine scenario analysis (1983/84)
Security dilemma examples
Arctic ice-albedo feedback effects
Game theory perspectives on global climate change
EU ETS overview
Digital twins and “Destination Earth” initiatives
High-resolution satellite data analysis using AI
Marine blooms of 2024
Winners of the Regenerative Blue Economy Challenge (WEF 2024)
For the second time in three years, the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) has recognized SeaCras as a model of successful practice of implementing satellite technologies in the tourism sector!
At the EUSPA’s User Consultation Platform on October 8, 2024, during the ‘Tourism and Cultural Heritage‘ session, our CEO, Mario Špadina, presented our use cases, Coastal Intelligence: Earth Observation Data-Driven Reporting for Transparent and Anti-Greenwashing Practices in Sustainable Maritime Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management.
Mario explained how our solutions create added value for companies in the coastal tourism sector, including hotels, resorts, campsites, and marinas, by enabling transparent reporting on the environmental impacts of business activities and vice versa. He also highlighted that SeaCras tools enhance responsible management at the destination level and support cultural heritage preservation through impact assessments, risk evaluations, and adaptation strategies. These tools help communities adapt to climate change and build resilience, strengthening the sustainability of local areas.
User Consultation Platform pamphlet (source: EUSPA):
The recognition for being an example of a successful model of implementing satellite technologies in tourism highlights our unique business approach and the integration of our satellite-based marine monitoring technology into the operations of public and private tourism stakeholders along the Adriatic coast.
EU Space data is at the forefront of innovation in the tourism and cultural heritage sectors, empowering the development of advanced tools that harness environmental monitoring and climate change forecasts.
These tools enable strategic, data-driven decision-making, strengthen resilience against climate risks, and provide critical insights to monitor and reduce environmental impacts, ensuring a more sustainable future for these industries.
Across Europe, from the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea to the Adriatic Sea, the bathing water quality in most areas is considered to be high for swimming. This assessment is based on two key indicators, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci, as mandated by the Bathing Water Directive (EU, 2006).
Yet, in the long-term management of coastal areas, potential problems are lurking in the near future. With the ongoing effects of climate change taking hold, along with the accelerated urbanization of coastal areas and the increase in tourism activities, additional pressures on the environment are emerging. Particularly important are dynamic sources of pollution, such as those originating from maritime transport activities.
Conceptual model of the relationship between climate warming and the occurrence of E. coli, intestinal enterococci and cyanobacteria (Source: EEA):
Besides the ongoing impacts of climate and human-induced changes on the quality of bathing sites, a question arises as to whether the usual classification of ‘bathing’ sites is sufficient to ensure public health, given that citizens and tourists swim in various undesignated locations.
Utilizing an advanced technological system based on artificial intelligence, satellite monitoring, and systematic, and strategic sampling, the partners aim to enable more accurate identification of pollution risks caused by human activities in coastal areas, contributing to the preservation of our coasts and seas. More than 700 locations along the Adriatic coastline are already included, with the aim of expanding to more than 1500 within the next three years.
This represents an unprecedented geographical and hydromorphological diversity in training sets for artificial intelligence, ensuring that the model can be adapted to various future trends.
The key advantages of this project include:
broader geographical coverage
more frequent and precise monitoring
dynamic pollution tracking
development of predictive capabilities
quick integration of newly identified pollutants
enhanced resilience to climate change
expansion of technology to monitor air and land
support for tourism and the blue economy as a whole
With the help of SeaCras satellite technology, HZJZ and other national and regional institutions will now be able to collect data more efficiently and frequently, even from remote or hard-to-reach areas such as islands. This will help ensure the protection of the health of residents and visitors, allowing for quicker responses in case of pollution detection, such as the presence of harmful bacteria like E. coli or intestinal enterococci (e.g., E. faecalis).
We are extremely proud of this national-level project, which marks a new chapter in monitoring bathing sites water quality, on top of the traditional sampling-based monitoring. The goal is to establish the new standard for large-scale monitoring and the adoption of climate security principles to ensure public health in the long term to citizens, tourists, and other guests across Croatia.
We’re extremely proud that SeaCras has been featured in the latest edition of Cruising Journal, one of the world’s most-read magazines in the cruising industry, with the article Protecting the Seas for a More Sustainable Future, and recognized for our AI-powered Coastal Intelligence solution that helps promote the marine preservation efforts!
Ocean pollution is a worldwide problem with far-reaching economic, ecological, and social consequences. The absence of early warning systems and unmonitored pollution lead to over €20 billion in losses within the EU alone. In addition, 79% of coastal seabeds are considered physically disrupted, leading to substantial biodiversity loss.
The impact of the cruising industry on the marine environment of many destinations and cities has yet to be fully assessed in order to enable preventive measures and optimize operations for a long-term sustainable business model.
Our project, Coastal Intelligence, addresses key challenges faced by stakeholders in the blue economy:
affordable and ecological monitoring of vast sea areas
alignment of company operations and business practices with ESG standards (according to GRI and ESRS guidelines)
prevention of pollution and avoidance of greenwashing through transparent disclosure of human impacts on the marine environment
SeaCras’s satellite imaging analysis plays a crucial role in advancing marine preservation within the cruising industry. By providing data-driven insights, we enable cruise lines and port operators to closely monitor ecosystems, prevent their negative environmental impact, and adhere to international sustainability standards — which was also highlighted in the latest online Cruising Journal article, where SeaCras was mentioned as one of the global innovators in the blue economy.
Measuring the impact of the cruise industry on the marine environment is crucial from the perspective of coastal destination tourism management, as numerous stakeholders involved in the value and supply chain drive the economy, especially in less developed regions.
Protecting the seas, oceans, and coastal communities isn’t just something we aim for – it’s at the core of what we do.
Want to learn how we can support your sustainability efforts?Let’s connect and explore ways to shape the future of cruising together.
Severe river pollution has been detected around the Neretva delta, caused by the recent flooding in Jablanica region in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the floodwaters entered the Neretva, they carried pollution downstream into the coastal waters.
This image shows debris and waste, floating down the river after the devastating floods in our neighbouring country.
It shows an enormous amount of mixed waste in the upstream section of the river, including construction materials, trees, landslide debris, etc. Water quality analysis is almost impossible for the river (and not even necessary in this case), as the contamination levels are off the charts.
This is a tragedy for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and for the multiple ecosystems that have been damaged by the event. It also serves as an example of how the river pollution and environment in general affect the security of multiple neighbouring countries.
We deeply regret the tragedy that has struck BiH and extend our heartfelt condolences to our dear neighbours, and wish them a fast recovery from this natural disaster!
