Physics Meets the City: Climate Change and Its Sentinels

On Wednesday, 1 April 2026, at 8:30 p.m., in the Aula Magna of the Rectorate (Via Ostiense 133), a lecture will be held by Prof. Elisa Palazzi from the Department of Physics at the University of Turin, titled “Climate Change and Its Sentinels.”
The event is recommended for anyone interested in learning about and exploring not only the most fascinating themes in physics, but also the latest developments in scientific research in the field—presented directly by the researchers themselves.
Admission is free and open until full capacity is reached.
The lecture is part of the series Physics Meets the City, organized by the Department of Mathematics and Physics.
Abstract:
Since the mid‑20th century, climate change has shown an unprecedented acceleration, affecting the entire planet. Some regions, defined as hot spots, are warming more rapidly and intensely than the global average, with significant consequences for populations, territories, economic activities and public health. Among these most sensitive areas are mountain regions, which serve as true sentinels of climate change.
In this lecture, after an overview of global warming and the mechanisms driving it, attention will turn to high‑altitude areas. The rapid melting of glaciers, the decline in the extent, duration and thickness of snow cover, changes in precipitation patterns and the increase in the intensity of extreme events are all signs of amplified warming in mountain environments. These effects extend far beyond these territories, influencing ecosystems and communities even at great distances.

Locandina