CASCADES identifies how the risks of climate change to countries, economies, and peoples outside Europe might cascade into Europe. It does so by analyzing how these risks interact with major challenges facing European societies. We are working with a diverse range of stakeholders – both within and outside Europe – to address these risks from a multitude of approaches.

Europe is strongly linked to the rest of the world via trade, supply and value chains, business operations, financial investments, as well as a result of its security, development and diplomatic interests. However, while climate change impacts in Europe are relatively well studied, there is a lack of understanding about how interacting, cross-sectoral climate change impacts occurring beyond Europe, as well as the economic and social responses to these impacts, might cascade into Europe. Therefore, the main objective of CASCADES is, within four years, to analyze the trade, political and financial channels through which climate change impacts might cascade into Europe from outside, significantly altering Europe’s risk exposure; and to support the design of a coherent European policy framework to address these risks.

Centre for Systems Solutions leads the stakeholder involvement process and is responsible for developing the Policy Simulation and the CASCADES multiplayer Social Simulation.

The relationship between CASCADES and stakeholders is bidirectional, to ensure that the topics discussed and researched relate to challenges stakeholders are dealing with, and are scrutinized using their expert knowledge. Thus, the stakeholders’ concerns and individual risk assessments are incorporated in the scientific analysis, and the analysis will provide useful results tailored to the stakeholders’ interests.

Stakeholders will be actively involved in the research process and co-develop the Policy Simulation. This process encourages going beyond the linear process in which science is passed on to society after its production. It offers a more interactive and productive arrangement between scientific and extra-scientific actors in order to bridge the gulf between complex science and everyday decision making.

The goal of the series of workshops with Policy Simulation is to integrate research generated by partners, present results to stakeholders, gather their input about cascading risks and their recommendations on approach and results – and ultimately to develop an effective and efficient science-policy interface.

An online multiplayer serious game called Cascades will be developed to secure the project impact beyond its lifetime. This serious game’s main topics will be policy learning, education and awareness rising. The setting of the game will be stylized, i.e. it will work as a metaphor of given problems.

The project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 821010.

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