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… read more
The UfM seeks to mobilize its member states, partners and public and private sector in support of the Action Plan for an Exemplary Mediterranean 2030 to achieve the protection target of 30% of the planet’s surface areas. 11 January 2021, Paris. The fourth One Planet Summit brought together Heads of State and Government and decision-makers to speed up international action for nature. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, joined the event and reiterated UfM’s commitment to the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to continue to collaborate actively to the concretization of the Action Plan for Exemplary Mediterranean by 2030. The primary goal of the One planet… read more
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is promoting the expansion of renewable energy in Egypt by supporting one of the first green private-to-private projects in the country, a 6 MWp solar photovoltaic power plant located at Dina Farms in the Beheira governorate, 80 km from the Egyptian capital Cairo. This is the EBRD’s first project in Egypt under the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Private Renewable Energy Framework (SPREF), which falls under the umbrella of the UfM Regional Dialogue Platform on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, created to promote the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. With an initial… read more
Read the stories of three local champions in the fight against climate change, in the framework of the UfM-supported project Clima-Med. 31 July 2020. Born and raised in Beirut, Marwan Kaiss is the Mayor of the Batloun Municipality in the Chouf area, 45km inland from Lebanon’s bustling capital city. Passionate about preparing Lebanon for the future, he returned to university at 53 years old and completed his Masters at the age of 60 and was then elected to his current position. Despite challenging circumstances, much of his time in public office has been at the forefront of a burgeoning local… read more
The 2020 UfM Mediterranean Climate Week discussed, among other topics, the progress of international public and private climate finance flows and how to optimise their mobilisation. Under the current scenarios, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries per capita energy demand is estimated to increase by about 60% by 2040. These countries have attracted 9% of the international public climate finance commitments each year. Considering these countries are representing 4.1% of the global population, it shows the region attracts a high flow of investment. 14 July 2020. The limit of a 1.5ºC increase in the average temperature, not to be surpassed as… read more
The exercise will point to energy efficient solutions, using a new online tool developed by the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency together with United for Efficiency. By incorporating efficiency into existing and planned infrastructure systems, costs can be controlled, service delivery can be improved and access expanded without necessarily adding to the cost of the service. 18 May 2020. The Mediterranean local communities play a key role in the energy transition. Cities are in the best position to take action on the ground and meet local needs in order to address a growing energy demand, the climate emergency and the… read more
The Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average, according to the first-ever scientific report on the impact of climate change in the Mediterranean, presented at the COP25 The UfM Secretary General called for evidence-based climate policies in order for the Mediterranean region to effectively address pressing environmental challenges. The UfM signed partnership agreements with the World Meteorological Organisation and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency. It also presented major regional initiatives on climate action together with the Republic of Cyprus, the European Commission and UNDP. Madrid, 13 December 2019. The Mediterranean region has already reached the temperature rise… read more
13 December, Madrid – The UfM and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) organized a side-event at the UN Conference COP25 focusing on identifying mitigation and adaptation actions in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. The session also discussed how to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs’) implementation through supporting community-based mitigation, adaptation and cross-cutting actions. Quote by Cassie Flynn, Strategic Advisor on Climate Change at the Executive Office, UNDP: “transparency and inclusiveness are needed for robust and consistent NDCs”. This side-event also gave an opportunity to present and share experience about possible synergies amongst UfM member countries on how to mobilize… read more
13 December, Madrid. The UfM region is performing well in attracting international public climate finance. Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries have attracted between 12% and 13% of the global international public climate finance commitments each year. However, despite this positive performance, the UfM region still has a margin of progress, as investments in adaptation are only representing approximatively one-third of mitigation commitments. The UfM presented the true-to-life steps to accomplish climate actions, from initiating policies to enhancing climate finance access and action implementation in the margins of the UN conference COP25 in Madrid. Quote by Mr. Mokhtar Hammami, Minister of… read more
Cyprus lies at the meeting point of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa, areas where climate change is expected to take a heavy toll in the coming decades 12 December 2019, Madrid. The Mediterranean region is getting warmer and drier at a faster rate than the global average. In the margins of the UN Conference COP25 in Madrid, the UfM co-organised a side-event with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus to gather scientists and decisionmakers to evaluate the current state and risks related to climate and environmental change. Quote from Grammenos Mastrojeni, Deputy Secretary… read more
