Senior Scientist and Team Leader Dr Teppei Yasunari will examine how wildfire risk prediction and satellite detection can support earlier action, before a cross-sector panel explores how risk insight can be turned into prevention, preparedness and resilience

Weathernews , a global weather intelligence company, will join the Japan Pavilion at the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair, running from 5 to 13 September 2026, with a joint Weathernews-JTI session examining how better climate and wildfire-risk insight can be translated into earlier action.

On Sunday 6 September from 10:30 to 11:40, Weathernews and JTI will convene ‘Understanding risk, acting earlier: Building resilience together’ on the Main Stage of the Japan Pavilion. The session will begin with opening presentations from both organisations, followed by a moderated panel discussion and audience Q&A.

Climate change is increasingly affecting communities, infrastructure and economic activity. Advances in monitoring, modelling and forecasting are improving our ability to identify some risks earlier. The value of that insight, however, depends on whether it reaches the right people, is trusted as authoritative and supports timely, coordinated decisions.

Wildfires bring this challenge into sharp focus. As recent events have shown, major wildfires can rapidly develop into wider air-quality, public-health, infrastructure and economic crises, with consequences extending far beyond the fire zone. Earlier identification must therefore be matched by rapid communication and action from local authorities, emergency services and other organisations responsible for managing risk.

The discussion will consider what science can tell us in advance, how earlier risk insight can inform prevention, preparedness and early warning, and what collaboration is required across science, technology, public authorities, businesses and communities.

In his opening presentation, Weathernews Senior Scientist and Team Leader Dr Teppei Yasunari will examine how climate variability and atmospheric circulation influence wildfire activity and air quality, before considering how scientific insight can be applied through wildfire risk prediction and satellite detection.

Dr Yasunari’s research has identified links between large-scale atmospheric circulation, European heatwaves and boreal wildfires, and examined the effects of Siberian wildfire emissions on air quality, climate and the economy. Before joining Weathernews in July 2025, he worked at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and served on the faculty of Hokkaido University. He was also a Contributing Author to the 2019 IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate.

Dr Yasunari’s work spans three connected wildfire capabilities. The Wildfire Risk Prediction System assesses forest-floor fuel moisture content, potential fire-spread speed and population-density-based relative risk, with updated coverage now extending to Europe and other global regions. J-HAWK is used in Japan to refine satellite fire detections using high-resolution land-cover data and assign confidence levels to wildfire classifications. G-HAWK is being developed to extend this detection approach globally but has not yet been released.

The session will be moderated by journalist Maria Akrivou and include Ciro Borrelli, Head of Business Development at Weathernews; Dr George Papavasileiou, Atmospheric Scientist at the National Observatory of Athens; Dimitris Kapnias, COO at Neuropublic; Alexander Arkhipov, Managing Director of the JTI Foundation; and Dimitris Kirmikiroglou, Secretary General for Communication and Media.

Ciro Borrelli, Head of Business Development at Weathernews, said: “Extreme weather does not respect organisational, sectoral or national boundaries. Science can give us earlier and clearer signals, but earlier understanding only matters if it leads to earlier action. In practice, that means the signal has to reach the right people, be trusted, and connect to a decision someone has already agreed to take, whether that is a grid operator, a port, a farmer or a public authority. TIF is a valuable forum to connect scientific expertise with the public and private decision-makers responsible for turning insight into preparedness.”

Alexander Arkhipov, Managing Director of the JTI Foundation, commented: “This year, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Foundation, and this surely prompts a reflection on the path we chose earlier and where it has led us. The impact we have brought to communities at risk is a result of the meticulous work carried out with a global and local network of partners with whom we are building expertise. In this line of work, partnership and cooperation are defined rather differently than in a regular competitive market environment. Here, different actors must demonstrate exemplary coordination and integrity to build trust and credibility, and get things done.”

The JTI Foundation is a Swiss-registered charitable organization supporting disaster relief and long-term risk reduction worldwide.

On Saturday 12 September, Weathernews will also host a conversation with Sakis Arnaoutoglou, Member of the European Parliament, exploring how Europe can strengthen its preparedness for increasingly extreme weather, including the role of policy, public communication and coordinated action.

Weathernews will exhibit in Pavilion 13 throughout TIF, where Japan is this year’s Honoured Country. Representatives from the Weathernews Europe team will meet public-sector, business and research stakeholders, as well as members of the public, and demonstrate how Weathernews combines weather forecasting, climate intelligence, AI and human expertise to support decisions across weather-sensitive sectors.

Weathernews’ participation follows an invitation from the Embassy of Japan in Greece and supports the Pavilion’s wider ambition to strengthen knowledge exchange and long-term cooperation between Japan and Greece.