Euro-Mediterranean scientists to prepare first ever regional study on the impact of climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean

Barcelona, 13 March 2017. The Mediterranean region has been repeatedly pointed out by the international scientific community as particularly vulnerable to the effects of global warming and changing environment. However, none of the current published scientific studies offer a comprehensive analysis of such effects and their potential impact on our ecosystems and populations. In order to prepare for improved assessments and a comprehensive synthesis of global climate change knowledge in the Mediterranean, the UfM Secretariat is closely collaborating with the network of the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC), which gathers more than 200 scientists from over 20 Euro-Mediterranean countries.

More concretely, MedECC has started to work on the first ever comprehensive assessment report on the impact of climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean basin. MedECC defined the outline of the report during a fruitful meeting in October 2016, and today will share it with governments and international organisations in order to receive feedback and, where appropriate, explore new areas to be addressed. The report is expected to be finalised by November 2018 and presented at the 24^th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24).

The UfM Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate Change, adopted in Athens on 13 May 2014, clearly stresses the importance to have a vulnerability assessment of the region regarding climate change. The UfM Secretariat is, therefore, working together with regional partners, such as the UNEP/MAP-Plan Bleu, the government of Monaco, the Generalitat de Catalonia and the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), on the emergence of a regional initiative aiming to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and policy makers’ needs.