The European Green Deal, first announced in December 2019, sets ambitious targets, including reaching climate neutrality in Europe by 2050; addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss in Europe; restoring degraded ecosystems; and adopting a zero-pollution action plan for air, water and soils. Achieving these bold targets will require scientific expertise from many different geoscience areas.

This Union Symposium will provide participants with an introduction to the European Green Deal, highlighting aspects that require geoscience expertise and discussing how scientists can engage with, and effectively support, the Deal’s ambitious targets. The session will also discuss the different stages of development and implementation of the Green Deal’s targets, what’s coming next and where science can be integrated. As a European scientific union focusing on many aspects relating to the Green Deal, the EGU is well positioned to highlight these areas through this session and beyond.

The panel will include scientists working in areas related to the Green Deal and policymakers who either initially proposed the Green Deal roadmap or who are currently working on its implementation. The session will include presentations from these speakers as well as a moderated discussion on how geoscientists can best support the Green Deal’s targets and a Q&A with the audience. Despite being a European specific initiative, the Green Deal also outlines missions working with neighbouring countries to the EU and some countries in Africa. In addition, many countries outside of the EU have discussed similar strategies. This session will therefore be of interest to a broader international audience.

Public information:
Moderator: Chloe Hill, EGU Policy Officer

Speakers:
- Claire Chenu: Research Director at INRAE and Professor of soil science at Agroparistech.
- Jaroslav Mysiak: Director of the Risk Assessment and Adaptation Strategies division at the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change. Member of the European Commission’s Mission Board for Adaptation to Climate Change Including Societal Transformation
- Joe Eisen, Executive Director, Rainforest Foundation UK)
- Diederik Samsom: Head of Cabinet, Europe Commission Executive Vice-President.

The EGU's 'How Geoscience can support the European Green Deal' publication provides specific examples of how geoscience is related to Green Deal policy areas ahead of this session and is available online here: https://egu.eu/7WFEBL/