It is well accepted that the prevention of natural hazards impacts can promote sustainable development and yet an even greater and more direct benefit can derive from the exploitation of the large energy content stored by natural phenomena,
In particular, volcanic areas represent complex systems that combine significant geological hazards with an immense energy potential. The Community Event will explore the dual role of these areas, both as high-risk geological environments and as supercritical and superhot geothermal systems capable of providing a strong contribution to the renewable energy sector. Geothermal energy may significantly contribute to global decarbonization, but its full exploitation requires considerable investments in research, open Earth Observation data and knowledge, technological innovation, and streamlined regulatory frameworks.
The examples will focus on how Earth Intelligence can be applied to volcanic risk prevention and at the same time develop the great worldwide potential for exploiting the energy reserves stored in super-heated fluids in volcanic regions, often located in less developed parts of the world.

The event will start with presentations from two Volcano Supersites of the GEO-GSNL global network, showing how Earth Intelligence is co-produced and used for early warning and risk prevention. It will then tackle the Krafla Magma Testbed initiative where innovative approaches to monitor active volcanoes and exploit magma energy are being tested; and will discuss the overall potential for increasing the relevance of geothermal resources as a source of clean, stable, renewable energy.

Introduction to the session (5 mins)