IHRR Fellow Stavros Zenios delivers international lecture in Poland

IHRR Fellow Professor Stavros Zenios recently delivered an invited lecture at Wrocław University of Science and Technology in Poland, as part of its Interdisciplinary Scientific Seminar series.

In his talk, “Climate Shock: How Climate Change Could Trigger the Next Sovereign Debt Crisis,” Professor Zenios explored how climate change is increasingly shaping global financial systems and posing risks to the stability of national economies.

Drawing on his expertise in finance and risk management, he examined how climate-related factors—such as extreme weather events or chronic damages to growth, energy transition pressures, and regulatory change—are already influencing credit ratings, public debt costs, and fiscal resilience. 

The lecture highlighted innovative approaches that combine climate modelling with debt sustainability analysis to assess the long-term implications of environmental shocks. It also addressed key challenges facing governments and financial institutions, including how to plan fiscal policy under deep uncertainty and how to finance large-scale climate adaptation.

The event, co-organised with the Wrocław branch of Academia Europaea, brought together an interdisciplinary audience to discuss the growing intersection between climate risk and economic stability—an area at the heart of the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience’s research priorities.

To explore this further, read here and watch the lecture on YouTube here.

Photo credit: Wrocław University of Science and Technology