The POPENVIROS research team is participating in the European Population Conference 2026 (EPC 2026), the leading European scientific event in the field of demography, held this year in Bologna.
The conference brings together more than 1,000 participants from across Europe and beyond, featuring a rich program with dozens of thematic sessions. EPC 2026 is organized under the theme “Meeting New Realities”, emphasizing the importance of population research in addressing contemporary societal challenges.
🔹 Opening Ceremony and the “Meeting New Realities” Panel
The opening ceremony featured an inspiring panel dedicated to this year’s theme, with insightful contributions from:
- Francesco Billari (Bocconi University)
- Jessica Fanzo (Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe)
The discussion was moderated by Raya Muttarak (University of Bologna) and focused on why population research is essential for understanding climate change, social inequalities, conflicts, and other urgent global processes.
🔹 POPENVIROS Contribution
The project was represented at EPC 2026 by Natalija Mirić, who presented the paper:
“Longevity and Environmental Perception: Introducing Life Years without Pollution or Noise Across Europe” within the session “Demographic Trends, History, Data and Methods.”
The paper introduces a new composite indicator, Life Years without Pollution or Noise, which integrates life expectancy with subjective perceptions of exposure to pollution and noise. This approach provides a deeper understanding of longevity in relation to environmental quality and individual well‑being, offering a new perspective for comparative European research.
🔹 Importance for the POPENVIROS Project
Participation in EPC 2026 is an important component of Work Package 10 – Dissemination of Results, strengthening the project’s international visibility and contributing to scientific collaboration in the fields of demography, health, and environmental research.
