Time to act on climate change in the Mediterranean is now, UfM warns ahead of World Environment Day

• Average temperature increases in the region, a climate change hotspot warming 20% faster than the global average, have already surpassed the 1.5ºC limit set by the Paris Agreement according to the UfM-supported Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC). Climate change acts as a threat multiplier by exacerbating existing social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities.
• While mitigation and adaptation efforts currently in place are still “insufficient for liveable futures,” the green transition offers ample opportunity for improvement. The potential of cross-Mediterranean renewable energy exchanges is one key domain identified in the latest UfM-OECD Regional Integration Report.
• The UfM is currently working to make the fourth edition of the Mediterranean Pavilion a reality this November at COP31 in Türkiye, the first UN climate conference of its kind that will take place on the shores of our shared sea. The pavilion is set to bring together key regional climate actors, ensuring a unified Mediterranean voice is heard in UN climate processes.

3 June 2026, Barcelona. As the international community prepares to mark World Environment Day this Friday, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) once again stresses the need for urgent action to counter the human, economic and environmental effects of climate change. The UfM continues to coordinate regional dialogue and cooperation on the matter as the Mediterranean is home to over 500 million people who are increasingly exposed to devastating heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flash floods.

Densely populated coastal areas, in particular, face heightened risks due to sea level rise, erosion and salinisation that threaten the food security of millions. Significantly, water stress is already a reality in all southern and eastern Mediterranean countries, and demand for water in the region is projected to at least double if not triple by 2050. If current climate trends continue, up to 20 million people could be permanently displaced by the end of the century.

In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the Mediterranean needs to implement widespread behavioural changes that are less energy-intensive, such as the readoption of the Mediterranean diet, as well as innovative solutions, including renewables. As described in the 2025 UfM-OECD Regional Integration Report, cross-Mediterranean renewable energy exchanges would benefit both receiving and sending partners financially and environmentally. These exchanges, however, will depend on further developing the infrastructure needed to meet growing energy demands as well as its integration into local and regional energy grids.

“We do not have time for passive cynicism,” said Joan Borrell Mayeur, Union for the Mediterranean Deputy Secretary General for Stability and Resilience. “Climate awareness is not an abstract intellectual activity either. There are very concrete measures, such as the expansion of regional energy grids, that we must work towards now. Greater regional integration reduces our dependence on external powers while also strengthening our capacity to address the climate crisis.”

Given the centrality of the issue to our region, the UfM is once again working to organise a Mediterranean Pavilion at the UN Conference of the Parties, which will take place this coming November in Antalya. The Mediterranean Pavilion is set to be a shared space for the region’s most important climate actors, including countries, scientific experts, the private sector and civil society to showcase the Mediterranean’s commitment to climate action and sustainable development. By joining forces with key Mediterranean players, the UfM aims to ensure that the region’s unique climate challenges and solutions are present on the global stage.

Additional resources

• Regional Integration in the Union for the Mediterranean 2025: Progress Report
• MedECC Special Report Interlinking climate change with the Water – Energy – Food – Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus in the Mediterranean Basin
• MedECC Special Report on Climate and Environmental Coastal Risks in the Mediterranean
• MedECC Report on climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean Region (MAR1)