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)
The cruising industry is changing fast – and she is sailing in the right direction!
A significant portion of the Seatrade Cruise Med event in Málaga was dedicated to sustainability, addressing a variety of social and environmental aspects.
Some of the main challenges include the decarbonization of the industry, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, waste reduction, and water recycling. For the first time, there is also a focus on reducing emissions into the sea. Various technologies were being discussed, ranging from alternative fuels and route optimization to the optimization of port operators’ logistics and infrastructure.
Since the cruising industry relies on the health and well-being of the oceans and seas, the time has come to implement new technologies for the protection and restoration of the oceans.
One of the technologies selected to be showcased is Coastal Intelligence, powered by SeaCras. We demonstrated how our AI analysis of high-resolution satellite data can assist the cruising industry with ESG reporting on marine resources, showcase sustainability efforts using the SeaCras app, and protect entire destinations by continuously monitoring the marine environment for both human impacts and the effects of climate change.
For the first time ever, the cruising industry saw how our solutions portfolio incorporates the marine component into sustainability efforts for industry players, including port authorities, port operators, cruise lines, and destination management authorities.
Big thank you goes to the organizers, Seatrade Cruise, for inviting us to speak and demonstrate our products at the ‘AI Innovations in Cruise Tourism’ session. Major praise to the fellow presenters — everyone did such a fantastic job!
It was an exceptional event, and we’re looking forward to the upcoming ones. See you in Miami!
Together with Zadar Cruise Port — GPH, we’ve implemented a unique app that allows the local community, cruise guests and all interested individuals to track sea quality indicators and potential pollution indicators in Zadar’s passenger port!
Via QR codes strategically placed across the passenger terminal, users can easily access the app from their mobile phones and other devices and examine sea quality data, with no additional costs or third parties involved.
“Monitoring the quality of seawater is of crucial importance for preserving marine ecosystems, protecting public health, and supporting sustainable economic activities,” stated Rebeka V. Pevec, MBA, General Manager of Zadar Cruise Port.
The main goal of this collaboration is to achieve transparency in monitoring the impact of large cruise ships on the coastal waters and to ensure effective environmental protection of the marine ecosystem in Zadar County.
“Only by using a holistic approach can we transform existing business models and achieve the long-term sustainable use and preservation of the marine environment,” said Mario Špadina, CEO of SeaCras.
Sincere thanks to Zadar Cruise Port for the exceptional teamwork — we look forward to carrying on the successful partnership and joint work on monitoring the quality and sustainability of the marine environment!
SeaCras and DIH Innovamare, in cooperation with leading scientific and research institutions, are working to create the first strategic technological partnership in the Adriatic – at the same time, one of the first of its kind in the world based on the uniqueness of the integrated approach. This project is focused on large-scale marine monitoring and conservation, and includes state-of-the-art technologies and is open to cooperation with all interested parties.
At the heart of this strategic partnership is the development of “Marine Monitoring 5.0” – an advanced system that combines extensive data collection (the so-called Big Data approach), artificial intelligence for their sophisticated interpretation and precise assessments of future trends.
The strategic partnership is created for the integration of several types of advanced solutions, such as satellite surveillance, surface robotic vessels, smart buoys, ecological sampling and the creation of predictive models as a powerful set of technological tools for preserving the marine environment with low greenhouse gas emissions.
This cooperation will enable numerous end-users to provide solutions for a wide range of challenges – through one call or inquiry, ranging from monitoring of sudden pollution to analysis of marine biochemistry, including detection of metals and other types of impacts at the sea.
Together, we aim to leverage our strengths, drive innovation, and create value for our members! Together, we aim to leverage our strengths, drive innovation, and create value for our members! This is the call to action – transparency and sustainability is a must.
An inspiring conference was held at the University of Zadar titled ‘SUSTAINABLE BLUE ECONOMY IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY DEGRADATION DRIVEN BY MARINE TECHNOLOGIES,’ which SeaCras co-organized together with the Digital Innovation HUB Innovamare, University of Zadar, Zadar County Development Agency Zadra Nova, and the Croatian Chamber of Economy.
Four highly informative round tables covered a wide range of topics, including maritime technologies for digital transformation, challenges in aquaculture and fisheries, the future of shipbuilding and maritime transport, and the importance of sustainable tourism on the coast and at sea.
This was a great opportunity for networking with other sectors, both from the private and public sectors. The conference provided a wealth of valuable perspectives and opened many topics that will be of great importance for the further development of a sustainable blue economy.
“The response to the risks and threats posed by climate change as a global challenge must necessarily be a global initiative.”
Operationally and in practice, this is not an easy task, which makes the existing joint venture and collaborative effort of the EU and the USA vital.
Furthermore, the implementation of mitigation and prevention actions at all levels of society and governance in each country independently is an even larger issue to resolve. This sets the tone to make private companies key players in leading the wave of changes.
Quoting the U.S. Ambassador: “Climate and economic aspects go hand in hand, and planning the green future is good business planning.”
Businesses need to facilitate the shift in paradigm by implementing environmental and climate risk data in daily operations. This step requires technology providers to provide the tools to address climate security threats – and there are many already available. One example is SeaCras’s ESG data service for marine environments, compliant with ESRS and GRI standards.
A great conference organized by the International Institute for Climate Action (IICA); congratulations to Marija Pujo Tadić for leading the way in connecting all these stakeholders.
