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From 3 September 2025, seminars, films and workshops to discuss sustainable mobility, the energy transition, the design of more comfortable, inclusive and resilient urban environments, the redevelopment of the building heritage, the redesign of Trieste's seafront and the reconfiguration of open spaces and landscapes to be water and heat resistant.

These are the themes to be addressed through Let's change! The climate is changing. Let's talk about it. This social responsibility project, which is organised and run by the Department of Engineering and Architecture at UniTS and co-funded by the University, aims to offer an open discussion based on the researchers’ work and reflections.

In recent decades, the effects of climate change have become increasingly tangible in Trieste. Negative impacts on terrestrial and marine ecosystems as well as extreme weather events such as flooding and heat waves are causing increasingly significant damage to the territory, infrastructure and public service buildings, economic activities, and health. From this perspective, we must make sure we are prepared to face present and future challenges. Key and increasingly urgent measures for ensuring this include sharing scientific knowledge about the transition underway, and promoting awareness and supporting mobilisation initiatives within administrations and society as a whole.

Let's change! is for everyone, but focuses particularly on young people, from school students to university students. All activities are free of charge and multidisciplinary in nature. Each topic will be discussed from different perspectives, using clear and accessible language.

More details at: letschange.dia.units.it 

The project, is currently set to run until early 2026 and the activity schedule will be progressively updated on the website. Citizens have the chance to shape the content of activities by completing the following questionnaire: https://dsvunits.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3rZXOENS4Xh8dAG

Let's change! will be accompanied by the publication of Quaderni, a bulletin which can be downloaded free of charge from the website, containing a summary of the activities developed by the project and the results from the questionnaires. This publication promises to be a useful resource for organising further meetings and debates between the University and the city on the kind of future we would like to see.

 

Programme of events

3rd September 2025, at 18:00
San Marco Café, Trieste
Trump, electric buses and alternative transport
Speakers: Alois Bonifacio and Andrea Mio
Moderator: Simona Regina

It may seem strange, but international geopolitical imbalances are linked to the fact that the new electric buses in Trieste are manufactured in China, and, more generally, to the energy transition. At the heart of the matter is group of raw materials, including rare-earth elements and lithium, which we all use on a daily basis, often without realising it. So perhaps it would be better to use other innovative means of transport, such as cable cars? Even in this case, however, certain conditions must be met in order to avoid serious repercussions. This talk offers attendees a light-hearted way to learn about issues that affect us all and our future.

23rd September 2025, at 18:00
Knulp bar and bookshop, Trieste
The city that suffocates and overwhelms us
Speakers: Eleonora Ceschin, Paola Cigalotto and Cristiano Cozzolino
Moderator: Fabio Del Missier

As in many other cities around the world, the impacts of climate change have become increasingly tangible in Trieste in recent decades. Extreme events are causing significant damage to urban spaces and the health of citizens, infrastructure and community facilities, and economic activities. Among the most noticeable effects are those caused by rising temperatures and flooding. To adapt to these changes and ensure well-being, we need more green spaces in the city. We will discuss the many possible solutions for transforming Trieste into a more beautiful, comfortable and liveable city.

17th October 2025, at 18:00
Stazione Rogers, Trieste
The energy transition: what is the role of technology?
Speakers: Alessandro Massi Pavan and Carlo Antonio Stival
Moderator: Giovanni Carrosio

The new millennium is characterised by an energy transition in which fossil fuels gradually replace renewable energy sources. The exponential global growth of renewable energy sources is linked to numerous factors, including the limited availability of fossil fuels, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the need to reduce the costs of the energy system. During this talk, global scenarios will be presented along with the technologies that can enable the transition, including: the role of photovoltaics, energy storage, electric mobility, renewable energy communities and energy saving.

6th November 2025, at 18:00
San Marco Café, Trieste
Not just construction: does living differently help reduce climate impact?
Speakers: Marco Manzan, Chiara Bedon and Ronelly De Souza

What are the environmental impacts of daily energy consumption in our homes? And what are the more general impacts related to our lifestyles and the ways in which we move around? The aim of this talk is to raise awareness of these issues, which are closely linked to individual choices, and to offer some practical ideas on possible habits with a lower environmental impact.

Film screenings

21th October 2025, at 21:00
Cinema Ariston, Trieste
Snowpiercer
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, starring Chris EvansSong Kang-hoEd HarrisJohn HurtTilda SwintonJamie Bell. South Korea, USAFrance2013
Introduction by Elena Marchigiani (DIA) and Daniela Terzoli (Cappella Underground)

2031. In a world decimated by a new ice age caused by failed experiments to stop global warming, a group of survivors remain alive inside a train, the ‘Snowpiercer’, which continues to travel around the Earth and obtains the energy to do so through an apparently perpetual motion engine. The train is a microcosm of human society divided into social classes; the poorest live in the rear carriages, where they feed exclusively on the ‘protein’ bars that are given to them; the richest live in the front carriages. Coexistence between them inevitably leads to struggles and revolutions.

18 th November 2025, ore 21:00
Cinema Ariston, Trieste
2040 – Let's save the planet!
Directed by Damon Gameau, starring Damon GameauEva LazzaroZoë GameauDavini MalcolmPaul HawkenUSA2019
Introduction by Elena Marchigiani (DIA) and Daniela Terzoli (Cappella Underground)

What hopes for life and what future will our planet have? Imagining a better future for his daughter – who will be 21 in 2040 – Australian director Damon Gameau travels to discover areas of the world where men and women are working every day to actively tackle climate change.

Educational workshops (secondary schools) organised in collaboration with Immaginario Scientifico – Science museum
Dates to be confirmed in September - tentatively between October 2025 and January 2026
 

Are we building smart&green?
Chiara Bedon and Marco Fasan
Workshop

The construction sector is characterised by the increasing use of technology and advanced tools, which civil engineers use to support design, maintenance, monitoring and diagnostics in the context of continuous innovation. The workshop aims to introduce young people to civil engineering, teaching them about commonly used materials, models and tools, including through practical demonstrations.

The energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources
Alessandro Massi Pavan
Workshop

The new millennium is seeing an energy transition where renewable sources are replacing fossil fuels. The growth of renewables is due to factors such as the scarcity of fossil fuels, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the need to lower energy costs. The workshop describes one of the possible energy chains useful for the transition, including solar energy production, its storage using hydrogen and its conversion into electricity with a fuel cell. The activity also covers other enabling technologies for managing the intermittent nature of renewables.

Playing with climate?
Sergio Pratali Maffei
Discussion Game

The activity consists of a series of workshops using the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methodology, led by a certified facilitator. The aim is to involve all participants in a ‘hands-on’ reasoning process, accessible to all, which looks at possible future scenarios resulting from climate change. Participants will define possible actions, which will take shape in a ‘text/landscape’ where the individual models produced will interact with each other.

Participation in Trieste NEXT 

26th September 2025, at 9:00
Trieste Next, school outreach activities 
In the water, in the heat. Cities in transition
Speakers: Fabio Del Missier, Federico Roman and Eleonora Ceschin
Moderator: Raoul Kirchmayr

In Trieste, as in many cities, weather and climate change are having a tangible impact on spaces, public health, economic activities and infrastructure. Extreme events, such as rising temperatures and heavy rainfall, are putting the liveability of the urban environment at risk. This activity illustrates the links between mental and physical health and the changes taking place, proposing solutions to make cities more resilient. The aim is to communicate the urgent need to adopt a conscious and responsible attitude towards the transition of cities into adaptive environments.