The Mediterranean region warms 20% faster than the rest of the world. With current policies, temperatures are expected to increase 2.2 ºC by 2040. These are some of the alarming conclusions of the ground-breaking findings of the first-ever scientific report on climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean area, presented the UfM Regional Forum on 10 October 2019 in Barcelona.
First Scientific Report on Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean
Recent accelerated climate change has exacerbated existing environmental problems in the Mediterranean Basin that are caused by the combination of changes in land use, increasing pollution and declining biodiversity. In most impact domains (such as water, ecosystems, food, health and security), current change and future scenarios consistently point to significant and increasing risks during the coming decades. Policies for the sustainable development of Mediterranean countries need to mitigate these risks and consider adaptation options, but currently lack adequate information — particularly for the most vulnerable southern Mediterranean societies, where fewer systematic observations schemes and impact models are based.
Since 2015, a network of more than 80 scientists from across the region (MedECC) has been developing the report with the aim to facilitate more effective policy responses to climate change. Among its main conclusions, the report shows that the Mediterranean basin warms 20% faster than the global average, and that the region is one of the main climate change hotspots in the world, where 250 million people are projected to be considered “water poor” within 20 years. With current policies, temperatures are expected to increase by 2.2ºC (compared to pre-industrial level) by 2040.
“No single nation, no single community, in our region has enough resources to cope with the pace of climate change on its own. Undeniably, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, our common efforts in the next decade have to focus on facing this urgent issue that goes way beyond climate change and implies reconsidering our approach to the region’s limited resources”, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel underlined at the UfM Regional Forum on 10 October 2019, when main conclusions of the report were presented.From science to policy-making
The network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC) was created in 2015 as an open and independent international scientific expert network acting as a mechanism for decision-makers and the general public on the basis of available scientific information and on-going research. The construction of this network responds to several intentions of regional institutions, such as the UN Environment/MAP through the MSSD 2016-2015 and the Regional Framework for Climate Change Adaptation in the Mediterranean, and the Expert Group on Climate Change of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM CCEG). MedECC includes more than 600 scientists from 35 countries. Its Secretariat is hosted by Plan Bleu in Marseille.
Policy Framework
The UfM follows the mandate of the 43 UfM member states, which gather in the Ministerial Meetings to address strategic priorities in the region. In 2014, Ministers in charge of environment and climate change from the countries of the UfM gathered in Athens on the occasion of the first UfM Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change. In the final declaration, the Ministers acknowledged the urgent need to address the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean region and shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns for a green and low emission economy.
Next Steps
In December 2018 the preliminary results of MedECC’s assessment on the risks associated to climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean were published. The second phase of the assessment is ongoing and will result in the publication, at the end of 2020, of the complete Mediterranean Assessment Report on Climate and Environmental Changes and its Summary for Policy-Makers.
The full report will be presented in 2021, if you want to be kept informed register to our newsletter
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10.10.2019. Publico Portugal: “É necessária uma ação urgente no Mediterrâneo”
10.10.2019. Handelsblatt: Klimastudie zum Mittelmeer: ‘Wir müssen handeln!’
11.10.2019. Al Masry Al youm: تقرير علمى يحذر: آثار تغير المناخ في منطقة البحر المتوسط أعلى من المعدل العالمي
10.10.2019. La Sexta: Regional Forum Climate Report
30.09.2019. Youm7: “The Mediterranean region is most affected with climate change”
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