Heat and heavy rain focus of the 2025 Natural Hazards Conference in Dornbirn
From 6 to 8 October, the 2025 Natural Hazards Conference will take place in Dornbirn (Vorarlberg), with over 100 experts from emergency services, municipalities, regions, states, the federal government, business and science.
The Natural Hazards Conference 2025 at the Kulturhaus Dornbirn will feature presentations and discussions focusing on heat and its effects, such as heavy rain in connection with thunderstorms.
There will also be workshops on the topics of ‘Cooperation in the context of cross-border risks’ (organised by the Disaster Competence Network Austria) and ‘How municipalities and cities can prepare for a blackout’ (organised by the Dornbirn Fire Department).
‘The annual natural hazards conference is a very valuable exchange for us,’ says Andreas Schaffhauser, Scientific Director General of GeoSphere Austria. ‘The meteorological analyses and data from the emergency services show an increase in damaging natural events. Close cooperation between all those involved in this issue is therefore extremely important. This applies to disaster management in crises as well as to the long-term planning of protective measures.’
GeoSphere Austria is organising the 2025 Natural Hazards Conference in collaboration with the Austrian Platform for the Implementation of the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (ASDR), the Climate and Energy Fund, the Disaster Competence Network Austria (DCNA) and the Dornbirn Fire Brigade.
The issue of heat is also a major topic for the host city of Dornbirn.
‘Increasing heat stress is one of the major challenges for cities like Dornbirn. Close cooperation between research, practice and local authorities is needed to be prepared,’ says Markus Fäßler, Mayor of Dornbirn.
Peter Kaufmann, commander of the Dornbirn Volunteer Fire Brigade: ‘Heat and drought mean a higher risk of vegetation fires. We have been focusing more on this issue this year and will also be practising it as a key part of our big annual final exercise on 18 October.’
At the Natural Hazards Conference, municipalities and regions participating in the Climate and Energy Fund's KLAR! programme will also present successful projects for adapting to climate change. In addition, the ‘Natural Hazards in Climate Change Award 2025’ will be presented.
Bernd Vogl, Managing Director of the Climate and Energy Fund: ‘The effects of climate change vary from region to region: in the east, we are struggling with heat and drought, while in the Alpine regions, the main problems are glacier retreat, lack of snow and threats to protective forests. Municipalities must respond to this – for example, in land use planning, water supply, infrastructure planning and disaster control. Our KLAR! managers help to incorporate long-term climate impacts into local decisions and avoid undesirable developments. They enable early, science-based adaptation that reduces risks and exploits opportunities.’
A summary of the most important content of the natural hazards conference is available after the event in the GeoSphere Austria podcast ‘Mehr als Wind und Wetter’ (More than wind and weather).
This podcast provides regular insights into many exciting topics from the fields of meteorology, climatology, geophysics and geology. Available on all popular podcast platforms.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)