Belgian Climate Centre

Carbon removal is needed for climate goals — but at what cost? Direct air capture could push nickel & barium mining to 86% of current levels. Bioenergy with capture could raise potassium demand by 70%. Every approach has trade-offs. #CDR #ClimateAction
🔗https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03348-8

Only 33% of the world's researchers are women.
0% of climate crises will be solved without them.
Happy #InternationalWomensDay!
#WomenInScience #IWD2025 #ClimateScience

Zeespiegel ligt tot 30 centimeter hoger dan gedacht | VRT NWS Nieuws De zeespiegel staat waarschijnlijk 30 centimeter hoger dan we dachten. Dat concluderen onderzoekers nadat ze honderden wetenschappelijke studies en risicobeoordelingen hebben bekeken. 90 procent van d...

The sea isn't flat. 90% of 385 sea-level studies underestimate ocean reach by 24-27 cm. A Nature review warns 1/3 more land faces flooding, threatening 77-132 million people. #SeaLevelRise
www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/20...

De Burgerraad voor het klimaat: wat is de balans na drie jaar? Drie jaar na zijn oprichting publiceert de Burgerraad voor het klimaat een eerste balans. Het doel: de ideeën van de burgers, hun concrete impact en de manier waarop de Brusselse regering ermee rekeni...

NL: leefmilieu.brussels/burgers/news...

How do we design better environmental policy? Ask residents.
Brussels’ Citizens’ Climate Assembly generated 100+ proposals on housing, sustainable food and the sharing economy. A new cycle on responsible digital tech begins in 2026. #ClimateAction #Brussels
🔗 environnement.brussels/citoyen/news...

Safeguarding climate-resilient mangroves requires only a moderate increase in the global protected area VUB research shows that targeted protection makes mangroves more resilient to climate change.

Mangroves don’t need huge land grabs: a Nature Communications study finds +7.3% global protection could yield +13.3% climate resilience, especially with cross-border plans. #Mangroves #ClimateChange
press.vub.ac.be/safeguarding...

🚨 FINAL CALL: Registration closes TODAY! ⏳

Join the Belgian 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 2026 (17–18 March, Brussels). If you’re advancing 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐠𝐢𝐮𝐦, this is where science meets policy and business.

👉 Register today: events.spacepole.be/event/247

🌍 Even with deep decarbonisation, residual emissions remain. At #BSCA26, Kris Piessens (KBIN-IRSNB) dives into carbon management: CO₂ storage, enhanced weathering, and how to scale + verify impact in Belgium. 17–18 Mar 2026.
Registration still possible: events.spacepole.be/event/247/

⚡ More electrification is inevitable—but what’s the smart, fair route? At #BSCA26, Francesco Contino (UCLouvain) leads debates on must-haves vs real choices, energy communities, grids, and siting wind/solar. 17–18 Mar 2026.
Registration still possible: events.spacepole.be/event/247/

Climate change is shifting mosquito & tick habitats. With VITO + Belgian Climate Centre, funded by @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social (C3S), we’re building an operational climate service for @sciensano.be: AI + stats + near-real-time 100 m daily maps to anticipate health risks in #Belgium.

📊 Great data isn’t the finish line—turning it into decisions is. At #BSCA26, Nele Veldeman (VITO) chairs a session on climate services: usable climate info for cities, policy & public health in Belgium. 17–18 Mar 2026, Brussels.
Register still possible: events.spacepole.be/event/247/

Dans le bassin du Congo, des lacs relâchent du carbone vieux de plusieurs milliers d’années Les tourbières du bassin du Congo, qui accumulent du carbone depuis des millénaires, libèrent aujourd’hui une partie de ce carbone enfoui, selon une étude menée par l’UCLouvain et l’ETH Zurich.

Deep within Africa lies a vast climate vault. The Congo Basin stores nearly a third of global tropical peat carbon — yet tropical lakes actively release ancient CO₂. Up to 40% comes from millennia-old peat, now disturbed. A fragile balance at risk. #CarbonCycle
www.uclouvain.be/fr/presse/ne...

Climate change is moving pathogens. Laura Van Poelvoorde, @sciensano.be: Belgium tracks ~38% via wastewater, but “one matrix doesn’t fit all”. We need smarter sampling plus One Health data. #ClimateCookiesAndCoffee #ClimateHealth
🔗 www.climatecentre.be/events-1/gen...

📣 Scientific data needs a voice.
Thanks to Ann De Ron (FishGrowFeet), 8 researchers from VUB, UGent & VITO are now media-ready. From EU policy to urban heat, they can explain the facts clearly
🫵 Journalists at VRT or Belga or elsewhere: get in touch!
New sessions this autumn
#SciComm #ClimateScience

Global warming must peak below 2°C to limit tipping point risks Global warming must peak below 2°C then return under 1.5°C as quickly as possible to limit the risk of dangerous “tipping points”, experts say.   The new paper, by an international team of researchers...

Tipping points depend on time: ‘fast’ systems can tip after brief 1.5°C spikes; ‘slow’ ice sheets lag but still need peaks <2°C. Carbon dioxide removal can cool back down—𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 alongside emissions cuts. news.exeter.ac.uk/global-syste...

Des Scientifiques en Classe (Français) Transforme ta recherche en ateliers interactifs pour des enfants de 10 à 14 ans. Développe des compétences en storytelling, en langage clair et en méthodes hands-on pour faire vivre la science.

Brussels researchers: turn your expertise into a fun 30-min workshop for 10–14s! SciMingo’s FREE “Scientists in class” training programme. #SciComm #Brussels
🌟 FR: 21/23 Apr + 6/7 May bit.ly/science-enfants
🌟 NL (2 spots left): bit.ly/wetenschap-kinderen

Tropisch virus nu ook in België overdraagbaar van mug op mens, en het ziektebeeld is niet fraai Door de opwarming van het klimaat schuiven tropische ziektes, zoals chikungunya, richting Europa. Nu een nieuwe studie aantoont dat tijgermuggen al bij een lagere temperatuur dan gedacht het virus kunnen overdragen, komt ook België in de gevarenzone.

New data: chikungunya transmission starts at 13.8 °C, putting Belgium at risk in summer. 🇧🇪 VITO, BCC & Sciensano are building a climate service to predict where the threat is highest. As noted in the article, citizens are also urged to report mosquitoes via MEMO+
www.standaard.be/natuur-en-we...

By 2063, 94% of Belgian houses could face >40 days/year above 25°C. A KU Leuven report warns of rising heat stress, urging for dynamic shading and night ventilation to maintain comfort:
🔗 verozo.be/fr/content/p...

Despite 238,158 amphibians saved by Belgian volunteers in 2025, climate-driven drought crushed reproduction rates. Juvenile crested newts in Merkske dropped from ~2,000 to 31. Long-term data from Flanders & Wallonia reveals these vital trends. #Biodiversity
🔗 www.natuurpunt.be/nieuws/dit-w...

En France, des crues « exceptionnelles » et des inondations appelées à durer toute la semaine Alors que 70 départements sont encore en vigilance crue, dont trois en rouge, une nouvelle perturbation arrivant par la Bretagne va toucher la France mercredi et jeudi, générant de nouveau des…

Extreme floods hit France 🇫🇷 as atmospheric rivers drench saturated soils. This record moisture, fuelled by climate change, threatens our neighbours. Adopting sponge city designs is now vital for regional habitability. FR, paywall:

🦠 How can wastewater predict climate-driven disease outbreaks?
On 24 Feb at 14:00, Laura Van Poelvoorde from @sciensano.be presents new genomic tracking tools at our Centre. #ClimateCookiesAndCoffee #Sciensano #PublicHealth
📝 Register here: events.spacepole.be/event/266/

New policy brief on offshore wind: chemical emissions from corrosion protection need better regulation in the North Sea. 🇧🇪 Researchers from ILVO, RBINS & POM West-Vlaanderen reveal regulatory gaps and call for harmonised standards to protect marine ecosystems. 🔗 doi.org/10.1186/s123...

Strengthening resilience to climate change - Recommendations for an effective EU adaptation policy framework

Europe warms twice as fast as the global average. The @esabcc.bsky.social recommends planning for 2.8-3.3°C warming by 2100. Analysis of the 🇧🇪 2021 floods shows that better governance reduces losses. We need 'climate resilience by design'.
🔗 climate-advisory-board.europa.eu/reports-and-...

86% of our oxygen originated from the ocean. Yet deoxygenation is accelerating. The new GO₂DAT roadmap unifies global data to track this crisis. Huge credit to Belgian experts at Seascape, EMODnet, IODE, ULiège & VLIZ for leading the way!
🔗 doi.org/10.1088/1748...

Climate anxiety: Misconceptions and advice Many people feel anxious about climate change and other trends in the world around us. However, there are constructive ways to cope with one's emotions. In step with the incorporation of the word…

Feeling isolated in your climate worry? You aren't. 'Pluralistic ignorance' makes us underestimate others' engagement. Research from Lund Univ. confirms anxiety is a rational response, not over-sensitivity. Validate your feelings and find meaning in action. #ClimateAnxiety
🔗

11 Feb. marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. As AI, STEM & finance converge for climate action, inclusion is key. 🇧🇪 ranks 7th in the EU (68.5), yet women are 19% of ICT specialists & 11% of graduates. Full participation matters #WomenInScience #Belgium #STEM
🔗 eige.europa.eu

The EU Green Deal was called a 'man on the moon moment'. New research from UGent argues the real leap is including Scope 3 emissions in Environmental Impact Assessments. Climate attribution science now makes this possible.
#ClimateLaw #EUGreenDeal
🔗 doi.org/10.4337/9781...

New 2026 research shifts focus to the neglected use phase of garments. KU Leuven researchers show that owning clothes longer doesn't mean using them more, distinguishing ‘use time’ from ‘use intensity’.
🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2026.100398

Join us for our next Climate Cookies & Coffee seminar!
Laura Van Poelvoorde (@sciensano.be) explores genomic tools for wastewater surveillance of climate-driven pathogens.
📅 24/02 | Register by 19/02 #PublicHealth #Genomics #Climate #ClimateCookiesAndCoffee
🔗 www.climatecentre.be/events-1/gen...

How Disinformation is Being Used to Block and Distort Offshore Wind Industry backed groups are once again shaping public narratives in ways that favor the status quo. If the opposition to offshore wind feels eerily familiar, that’s because it is. What we’re watching…

Disinformation is stalling offshore wind. Fossil fuel groups use astroturfing—fake local campaigns—to delay the green transition. Belgium’s North Sea expertise proves wind works, but we must fight manufactured myths. #OffshoreWind #ClimateAction #Belgium
🔗 blog.ucs.org/delta-merner...