Romania, increasingly prepared to face climate change

The Scientific Advisory Board for Climate Change is a newly established, independent body

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 26.06.2026, 13:30

The Scientific Advisory Board for Climate Change is a newly established, independent body, made up of well-known researchers and climate and environment experts. The Board brings together researchers and experts in climatology, meteorology, agriculture, energy policies, medical anthropology and biodiversity.

Why was this Board necessary?

Adina Croitoru, PhD, a professor with the Geography Department of the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca: “To create a group that various categories can turn to when scientific expertise is needed. It is a group of scientists, as its name suggests, which mainly aims to contribute to improving the dialogue between experts, scientists and political decision-makers, policy-makers in the field of climate and environment, from relevant sectors in our country.”

Sorin Cheval, a scientific researcher with the National Meteorology Agency, added:

Sorin Cheval: “We have a problem related to climate change, the current climate and especially the climate challenges ahead of us, in the coming decades. We are already feeling the impact of these climate changes on the economy, the environment, ecosystems and society. We see ever more frequent heat waves, including in our country, we have more and longer drought periods. Romania is one of the countries where wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent and cover growing areas. These require measures. And one of the measures that I thought could be useful is the establishment of this Board, in which we have brought together skills from several research fields. All of this is put in service of more effective climate policies.”

The climatologist Sorin Cheval also had this to say:

Sorin Cheval: “Romania must align with trends in Europe, and in recent years it actually has done so. Romania is committed to creating a framework for adapting to climate change, which responds to what is happening at European level. For instance, Romania has a national strategy for adapting to climate change, which is being implemented. It has a plan, and this plan needs support, including from the scientific community. And we believe the scientific competence that this Board makes available to public policies, can make a difference. There are important research and education institutions in Romania which make various types of expertise available to decision-makers. There are established institutions for forests, for water resources. What this institution brings, and it can make a difference, is the complex expertise both in terms of research and in terms of science communication, one of the missing links in Romania these years, the fact that more often than not the results of scientific research are not explained to the public clearly enough. And this is where distrust in science often comes from.”

Adina Croitoru, PhD, encouraged citizens, first of all, to stay informed:

Adina Croitoru: “First of all, people must get information and be aware that these changes exist, that they are present, that they are not something that will come, but rather something that is already here. And they should take measures primarily to protect themselves, in terms of adapting. Of course, we want all citizens of this country to take mitigation measures as well, to stop polluting, to stop increasing greenhouse gas emissions, but I think that at the moment the main action that citizens can take is to stay informed properly, from credible sources, and at the same time to take protective measures for themselves, for their families, for their communities. We have these extreme weather warnings, they should listen to these warnings and stay in during heat waves, during the storms that those messages alert against. This is the simplest form of action that citizens can take, but unfortunately we still have a high level of ignorance as regards these warnings, whether it’s RoAlert or other channels. In terms of mitigating, of reducing pollution, we should also be aware of our carbon footprint, how much we consume. Because sometimes we are not even aware that we pollute with certain simple things that we do.”

An example that our interlocutor gave in this regard is that of tabs open on our computers without being used.

Adina Croitoru: “I would like this Advisory Board to gain the trust of the public, we are a group of technical experts, we have no political, economic or social interests. We simply want to make ourselves useful to the community.”

In turn, Sorin Cheval added: “The Board intends to produce several reports every year, which will translate scientific research outcomes into texts that people can understand. All these products, this information will be there to support citizens.” (AMP)