13 August- 27 August, 2023, the Department of Ecology and Sustainable Environmental Management of Lviv Polytechnic National University organized and implemented the International Summer School «Technological and Economical Aspects of Climate Change Adaptation Strategy» within the project Erasmus+ «Synergy of educational, scientific, management and industrial components for climate management and climate change prevention» (CLIMAN).  

The school was run on the basis of the Polytechnic-4 in the village of Zozuli, Zolochiv district, Lviv region. The chosen location has a unique natural environment, located in a pine forest, and allows for both indoor and outdoor classes in summerhouses. 

 
During the summer school, students attended 11 lectures presented by professors from Ukrainian universities and partner countries, took part in interesting workshops, and prepared group projects on the topics. 

Considering that the Department of Ecology and Sustainable Environmental Management has created a Climate Management module to achieve the project's goal, the format of the summer school was designed to expand and deepen students' knowledge of both climate change adaptation and the implementation of best practices to reduce the impact of various sectors of life on the climate. 

Students from LPNU, KROK University, Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University (in person) and Western Ukrainian National University (online) took part in the school. 

The schedule of classes contributed to good assimilation of the material, and practical exercises allowed students to work in groups and model certain scenarios of the impact of various factors on climate change, ways of adapting to climate change and possible consequences for human health and all spheres of life. 

The main issues that were discussed during the summer school are as follow: 

As part of the lecture, students had the opportunity to learn about the impact of open fires on the environment and human health. The lecture was presented by Professor Valeriy Mykhailenko of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Considering that climate change often leads to an increase in extreme temperatures and, as a result, to an increase in the number of forest fires, this topic is very relevant and important. By understanding the risks to health and the environment caused by forest fires, it is possible to assess the danger and take the necessary measures to avoid it, as well as to identify ways to adapt forestry to climate change. 

Solid waste management is an important issue in climate change adaptation, because improper waste management contributes to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane. The lecture, presented by Professor Myroslav Malyovanyi from Lviv Polytechnic National University, was focused on introducing students with the problems of solid waste management in Ukraine, as well as demonstrating best practices of solid waste management in European countries and highlighting possible strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this sector by introducing the latest technologies for waste collection and disposal. 

An equally important step in the adaptation of various sectors of the economy to climate change is a proper understanding of how environmental processes combine and interact with each other and with living organisms in general. The lecture, presented by Associate Professor Hanna Zhelnovach from Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University, titled "Everything is connected to everything: an introduction to the essence of climate change", revealed the essence of the processes taking place in the environment and their relationship with the greenhouse effect. The students were able to model various systems on their own and, based on the knowledge gained, identify the positive and negative effects that will occur in the environment as a result of climate change and, accordingly, try to identify possible ways to adapt to climate change. 

Special attention was paid to the use of renewable energy sources, in particular the use of hydrogen. A lecture presented by Prof. Asnakech Laß-Seyoum from the University of Applied Sciences, Germany, helped to raise students' awareness of the use of renewable energy as one of the important steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Abandoning fossil fuels and creating new technologies for generating energy without greenhouse gas emissions is one of the main areas that are actively developing today and help to achieve results in the fight against climate change. 

Considering that today climate management in Ukraine has begun to develop and be actively implemented, it is very important for students of environmental science to understand all the concepts related to climate management and how to use environmental audit in enterprises in order to apply their skills correctly in the future. The lecture on Environmental Audit and Climate Management: Key Skills and Competencies was presented by Professor Natalia Vnukova from Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University. This lecture broadened the students' awareness of environmental audits and the use of the data obtained to combat climate change and identify the best ways to adapt to climate change. 

The participants also discussed the impact of climate change on urbanized areas and, accordingly, the impact of rising global temperatures on urban populations. Associate Professor Volodymyr Zhuk from Lviv Polytechnic National University and Migel Angelo Raposo Inacio from Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania, presented their lectures in this format. The increase in the number of days with extreme temperatures, the occurrence of a large number of heat islands within the city, where green spaces, alleys or squares are not designed, total buildings and the lack of places to hide from the heat, etc. lead to a number of negative consequences of climate change, including an increase in the number of people suffering from chronic diseases and an increase in mortality. In addition, there is the problem of using excessive amounts of energy for air conditioning, etc. In general, the participants discussed the need to adapt urbanized areas to climate change, green cities and create comfortable conditions for recreation for urban residents, etc. 

A separate topic of the summer school was sustainable development and the main sustainable development goals, the observance and implementation of which involves eco-friendly relations between people, the economy and the environment. Lectures in this area were presented by Associate Professor Ulyana Tkach from the Western Ukrainian National University, Mg.sc.env Kristīne Neimane from the University of Turiba, Latvia, and Olena Naumova from KROK University, Ukraine. Special attention was paid to climate change and climate change adaptation strategies in the context of sustainable development. Having received the necessary theoretical information, the students were able to calculate their environmental and CO2 footprints, simulate various situations from everyday life based on the principles of sustainable development and come as close as possible to responsible consumption of both resources and energy to meet their own needs. Sufficient attention was also paid to the topic of sustainable economic development and possible liability for providing inaccurate information on the firm's sustainable development. 

In addition to lectures, students had the opportunity to work in groups at interesting and informative workshops, where they implemented their ideas on climate change adaptation strategies and opportunities for sustainable economic development. 
During the summer school, participants had the opportunity to share their experience in dealing with climate change and adaptation strategies, and to take part in a historical and educational trip along the ecological paths of Zolochiv district and the outstanding castles of Lviv region. 

 
At the end of the summer school, participants presented their projects on a given topic and were awarded certificates. Many thanks to Lviv Polytechnic National University for hosting such interesting event, as well as all participants for their active participation!