UfM and ADEME launch new edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards

Energy & Climate Action

Calls for applications: 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Trophies

Following the 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition, in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean and Plan Bleu, is announcing the launch of the 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards.

Adapting to climate change: a priority for the Mediterranean region

The Mediterranean basin, with its 500 million inhabitants, is the second-most impacted area by climate change after the Arctic, as shown in the recent MedECC (Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change) report.

Temperatures in this climate change hotspot are increasing faster than the global average, and major impacts are expected as soon as 2050. These include up to a 10% drop in the availability of freshwater and a decrease in food security due to a potential drop of up to 17% in crop yields and up to 20% in overfished marine life, as well as an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, and floods. Further major impacts are also predicted in the long term. By 2100, it is predicted there will be a temperature increase of 5.6 °C, a 20% drop in rainfall, a potential 90cm rise in sea levels, a two-fold increase in the land-area scorched by fires, as well as the disappearance of at least 40% of native fish species and the introduction of non-native species.

Cities and rural communities across the Mediterranean must therefore work to create stable social, economic and environmental conditions so that the region is better able to deal with the impact of extreme weather and events linked to climate change.

The 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards is an opportunity to raise awareness of the urgent need to take action and the importance of working together to create inspiring and innovative solutions that can be used throughout the region.

A competition to encourage territories to adapt to climate change

The Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards identify and mobilise the key players involved in implementing projects to adapt to climate change from coastal, urban and rural territories across the Mediterranean.

The aim is to reward exemplary and replicable practices in order to encourage other parts of the region to take action to adapt to the challenges presented by climate change.

The success of previous editions of the Awards

Previous editions of the Awards have celebrated more than 50 projects from across 15 countries around the Mediterranean. These actions taken to mitigate the effects of climate change are led by private and public decision-makers and can be replicated and introduced throughout the region.

One such example is the coastal management plan designed by the County of Šibenik-Knin in Croatia. This plan takes into account the impact of climate change, especially the risk of floods and forest fires, when planning the development of its coastline and tourist settlements.

In Lebanon, the Union of Municipalities of the District of Bint Jbeil is working to preserve wetlands, increase forest cover, and prevent the risk of fires by reforesting protected areas, distributing free forest and fruit trees to local residents to encourage them to plant new trees, and by training teams of firefighters.

In Tunisia, the “Association du développement et études stratégiques de Médenine” carried out hydraulic works to construct dams and reservoirs that retain rainwater and top up the water supply. This has made it possible to increase agricultural production of food products such as olives, figs, grains and fodder, for example, which has in turn increased farmers’ incomes and kept young people in the area due to these more positive economic prospects.

In Portugal, the foundation of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon set up a programme to prepare local authorities to better be able to implement policies that respond to the demands generated by climate change. The programme includes a series of training courses, the creation of networks of key actors and the development of strategies of ways to adapt to climate change in 26 municipalities.

Key competition dates

Competition start date: 20th January 2021

Competition end date: 15th April 2021

Award Ceremony: June 2021, during the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA) in Brussels.

APPLICATIONS CLOSING DATE: 15 April 2021

It should be noted that a review of adaptation practices in the Mediterranean will soon be published by ADEME on its website.

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PRESS CONTACT

FELICE Benjamin – Langevin & Associés

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presse@medadapt-awards.com

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