The UA Discusses Flood and Earthquake Risks in Orihuela Amid Climate Change

Residents of Vega Baja still vividly remember the devastating effects of the flood that struck their region six years ago. To address the natural risks that, like that one, threaten this area, the University of Alicante, through the Archbishop Loazes Chair, is holding a series of conferences from November 10 to 27 to discuss the adverse effects of climate change. All sessions will take place at the "Fernando de Loazes" Public Library and Historical Archive in Orihuela at 7:00 PM.

Under the title "Climate Change and Natural Risks: Floods and Earthquakes in Orihuela and Vega Baja", specialists from various disciplines will gather to provide an updated and informative perspective on the natural phenomena directly affecting the Orihuela territory, such as floods and earthquakes.

The aim of this initiative, coordinated by Joaquín Martínez-Campillo García, delegate of the College of Geologists of the Valencian Community, is to raise awareness among the Orihuela society and the population of Vega Baja about the need to adopt adaptation and protection measures against increasingly frequent and intense natural threats, as well as to promote scientific knowledge among researchers, students, and the general public interested in these issues.

The series will be introduced by the chair director, Maribel Peñalver Vicea, and will feature prominent experts from the University of Alicante and the Official College of Geologists of Spain.

The first lecture, on November 10, will be delivered by the Professor of Regional Geographic Analysis Jorge Olcina Cantos, who will address the topic "Floods in Orihuela and Vega Baja: Adaptation and Resilience". On November 11, the Associate Professor of Applied Physics Sergio Molina Palacios will give a talk titled "Orihuela and Earthquakes: Can We Predict Them?"

The next session, on November 18, will be led by geologist and cycle coordinator Joaquín Martínez-Campillo García, delegate of the College of Geologists of the Valencian Community, who will discuss "Natural Risks in Orihuela and Vega Baja".

On November 19, the President of the Illustrious Official College of Geologists of Spain, Nieves Sánchez Guitián, will deliver the lecture "Risk Prevention". Finally, on November 27, the Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Pedro Alfaro García will conclude the series with the presentation "Orihuela and Plate Tectonics".