[09/26] Professor Fausto Guzzetti is convening a sister workshop in Rome after co-convening IHRR’s workshop on communicating difficult messages about hazard, risk and uncertainty.
On Thursday 17 and Friday 18 September 2026, the headquarters of Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) in Rome will host “Parole che informano e proteggono” (Words that inform and protect) , a workshop on communicating potentially hazardous natural phenomena, events and their impacts.
The Rome event follows Communicating Difficult Messages Well: Hazard, Risk and Uncertainty, hosted by IHRR at Durham University on 7 and 8 September. Professor Fausto Guzzetti co-convened the Durham workshop and is now convening its Italian sister workshop with the CNR-IUGG Commission.
Both workshops consider how scientists and public institutions should explain what is known, what remains uncertain and what can realistically be predicted, especially when decisions are urgent and public trust is at stake.
The Rome workshop is organised by the Italian National Committee for the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, the CNR IUGG Commission, together with the CNR International Relations Unit. More than 90 registered participants from 26 institutions and organisations will take part.
Eighteen presentations will cover volcanic and geo-hydrological risk, forecasting, air quality, climate change, avalanches and emergency management. Broadcasters, journalists, scientific publishers, economists, lawyers and social scientists will examine how evidence becomes information that people can use.
More than three hours are reserved for moderated discussion. Participants will consider what audiences need to understand, which language and channels work best, and how institutions can maintain credibility. They will distinguish communication about scientific uncertainty from communication about impacts and risk-management measures.
Professor Guzzetti’s role in both workshops creates a direct link between IHRR and the Italian geoscience community, extending an international discussion about how credible communication can support informed decisions and protective action.
Image credit CNR-IUGG Italian National Commission.
Image caption The CNR-IUGG workshop in Rome will examine how information about natural hazards, risk and uncertainty can support decisions and protective action.
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