|
We hope this newsletter finds you well! In this edition, we are pleased to share with you, among others, good news on the progress of our Special Reports and the activities related to the participation of MedECC in various events !
|
We are delighted to announce that the Summary for Policymakers of the MedECC Special Report on climate and environmental coastal risks has been endorsed by the Contracting Parties at the COP 23 of the Barcelona Convention, last December (Portoroz, Slovenia, 5-8 December 2023). This marks a substantial leap forward in the finalisation of the report, showcasing our collective dedication and expertise in addressing coastal challenges. Stay tuned for the upcoming publication!
|
The Special Report on interlinking climate change with water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus is in the final stage of the draft revision. We anticipate submitting the Summary for Policymakers for Plenary Consultation in the spring. This report will delve into the intricate interconnections between water, energy, food, and ecosystems, offering a comprehensive understanding of their nexus.
|
The Special Report on environnmental change, conflicts and human migration has commenced the development of the Final Order Draft. Following a successful authors meeting held in January 2024, our team is actively addressing the comments from external review to deliver a report that captures the multidimensional aspects of this critical issue.
|
|
We are proceeding to some work on the website, and soon you will be able to find more news on the progress of these Special Reports and their production.
|
|
|
Strengthened support and recognition for MedECC at COP 23 of the Barcelona Convention
|
|
|
|
MedECC participated in the 23rd meeting of the Contracting Parties of Barcelona Convention, COP 23, held in Portoroz (Slovenia, from 5 to 8 December 2023. The event was held under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the theme "Green transition in the Mediterranean: from decisions to actions".
|
|
|
|
|
The event brought together representatives from 21 Mediterranean countries to address pressing environmental issues, along with stakeholders, policymakers, and experts from across the region, including the MedECC. The MedECC delegation included Piero Lionello (University of Salento, Italy), who is both a MedECC author and Steering Committee member, as well as the MedECC Secretariat, Julie Gattacceca and Kasia Marini. During this COP, the Summary for Policymakers of the MedECC Special Report on climate and environmental coastal risks has been endorsed. COP 23 culminated in the adoption of the Portoroz Ministerial Declaration, which includes support for MedECC to ensure evidence-based environmental policies in the Mediterranean. All the decisions and support expressed at this COP have strengthened the MedECC’s position, legitimacy and needs as a unique science-policy interface and driving force in addressing climate challenges in the region.
|
|
|
|
|
MedECC members engagement across the Mediterranean
|
|
The MedECC experts have been actively contributing to discussions and events addressing climate and environmental challenges. These engagements highlight MedECC's commitment to tackle these issues through international collaboration and scientific expertise. Here are some of their significant involvements:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conference "Cross-border climate change impacts and systemic risks in Europe and beyond" Potsdam, Germany - 16-18 October 2023. Philippe Drobinski (LMD-IPSL, CNRS, France), co-coordinator of the Special Report on interlinking climate change with water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus, delivered a presentation titled "Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Mediterranean Area: A Nexus Approach", that provided insights into the collaborative efforts of the authors in addressing the interconnected challenges posed by climate change. Book of abstracts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Climate Action event DG-NEAR, Brussels, Belgium - 24 October 2023. Joël Guiot (CEREGE, France) participated in the event organised by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement - NEAR, European Commission, emphasizing MedECC's role in contributing to climate action at the Euro-Mediterranean level.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plenary Consultation on the Summary for Policymakers (SPM) of the Special Report "Climate and environmental coastal risks in the Mediterranean", online - 6 November 2023. Engaging policymakers and stakeholders, it aimed to ensure that the remarks from the consultation were well addressed and that the SPM presents the key findings in a fully comprehensible and unambiguous way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Workshop on "Geopolitics of Climate Change in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)," Casablanca, Morocco - 9 November 2023. This event brought together international experts for in-depth discussions on the intricate challenges within the climate change-geopolitics nexus in the MENA region. Manfred Lange (Cyprus Institute, Cyprus), co-coordinator of the Special Report on environmental change, conflicts, and human migrations, contributed to the workshop discussing the interplay between climate change, migration, and stability in the Mediterranean and the MENA Region.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ecomondo, the green technology expo, Rimini, Italy - 7-10 November 2023. Fabio Santeramo, (University of Foggia, Italy - Special Report on interlinking climate change with water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus) participated in the Panel focusing on earth observation and advanced technologies for making agriculture more resilient against extreme events.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UfM 7th Task Force on Environment, Brussels, Belgium - 15 November 2023. Philippe Drobinski (LMD-IPSL, CNRS, France), co-coordinator of the Special Report on interlinking climate change with water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) nexus was invited to present MedECC activities on the topic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
United Nations Climate Change Conference 2023 (UNFCCC COP 28), Dubai, United Arab Emirates - 30 November - 12 December 2023. Jan Wilkens (University of Hamburg, Germany), Coordinating Lead Author of the Special Report on environmental change, conflicts, and human migrations, engaged in two side events. His contribution involved discussions on civil protection for climate change-related disasters and climate mitigation and adaptation through science/technology diffusion and entrepreneurship development in the Mediterranean region.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5th Mediterranean Water Forum, Tunis, Tunisia - 5-7 February 2024, Marta Debolini (CMCC, Italy and INRAE, France), Coordinating Lead Author of the Special Report on interlinking climate change with water-energy-food-ecosystems (WEFE) co organised the side event "Transformative Water Resources Management, Smart and resilient solutions for climate challenge across the Mediterranean". Fatima Driouech (University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Morocco), co coordinator of MedECC gave a keynote speech on water resources and climate change in the Mediterranean.
|
|
|
Media
|
To read: IEMed Yearbook 2023
|
|
María Carmen Llasat, from the University of Barcelona, Spain, and a key member of the MedECC Steering Committee Member and co-coordinator of the MedECC Special Report on climate and environmental coastal risks, has made a significant contribution to the IEMed Yearbook 2023 published by the European Institute for the Mediterranean. Her article, Climatic Change and Environmental Disasters in the Mediterranean Area dives into the pressing issues facing the region.
|
|
|
|
To watch: COP 23 | Science-based environmental policymaking
|
|
|
|
During COP 23? the IISD/Earth Negiotiations Bulletin interviewed Piero Lionello from the University of Salento, Italy, and key member of the MedECC Steering Committee Member and co-coordinator of the MedECC Special Report on climate and environmental coastal risks, along with other mediterranean experts. The video highlights the crucial role of reports and studies that lay the scientific groundwork, empowering the Contracting Parties to make well-informed decisions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Press Review
|
|
Find the latest press articles focusing on environmental and climatic issues in the Mediterranean, interviews with MedECC researchers and news articles on the activities of the MedECC and its reports.
|
For media enquiries, please get in touch with the MedECC Secretariat.
|
|
|
|
|
Selection of scientific updates
|
- Balaras CA, Droutsa KG, Dascalaki EG, Kontoyiannidis S, Moro A, Bazzan E, Borgaro P. Auditing and Rating Sustainability of Mediterranean Buildings, Neighbourhoods and Cities. 2023 Dec 22;17(1):82.
- Bargagli R, Rota E. Mercury Biogeochemistry and Biomagnification in the Mediterranean Sea: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects in the Context of Climate Change. Coasts. 2024 Feb 4;4(1):89-107.
- Bonaldo D, Sanchez-Arcilla A, Samaras AG, Snoussi M, editors. Climate Change impacts on Mediterranean Coastal and Transitional Areas: Assessment, Projection, and Adaptation. Frontiers Media SA; 2023 Dec 15.
- Boutagayout A, Bouiamrine EH, Synowiec A, Oihabi KE, Romero P, Rhioui W, Nassiri L, Belmalha S. Agroecological practices for sustainable weed management in Mediterranean farming landscapes. 2023 Dec 22:1-55.
- Büntgen U, Reinig F, Verstege A, Piermattei A, Kunz M, Krusic P, Slavin P, Štěpánek P, Torbenson M, del Castillo EM, Arosio T. Recent summer warming over the western Mediterranean region is unprecedented since medieval times. Global and Planetary Change. 2024 Jan 1;232:104336.
- Camarero JJ, Sánchez-Miranda Á, Colangelo M, Matías L. Climatic drivers of cork growth depend on site aridity. Science of The Total Environment. 2024 Feb 20;912:169574.
- Carlesi L, Dudinskaya EC, Danovaro R, D'Onghia G, Mandolesi S, Naspetti S, Zanoli R. Estimating preferences for Mediterranean deep-sea ecosystem services: A discrete choice experiment. Marine Policy. 2023 May 1;151:105593.
- García-Ibáñez MI, Guallart EF, Lucas A, Pascual J, Gasol JM, Marrase C, Calvo E, Pelejero C. Two new coastal time-series of seawater carbonate system variables in the NW Mediterranean Sea: rates and mechanisms controlling pH changes. Frontiers in Marine Science. 2024;11:1348133.
- Guiot J, Bernigaud N, Bondeau A, Bouby L, Cramer W. Viticulture extension in response to global climate change drivers–lessons from the past and future projections. Climate of the Past. 2023 Jun 20;19(6):1219-44.
- Lucca E, El Jeitany J, Castelli G, Pacetti T, Bresci E, Nardi F, Caporali E. A review of water-energy-food-ecosystems Nexus research in the Mediterranean: evolution, gaps and applications. Environmental Research Letters. 2023 Jul 3.
- Rezaei A, Karami K, Tilmes S, Moore JC. Future water storage changes over the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa in response to global warming and stratospheric aerosol intervention. Earth System Dynamics. 2024 Jan 29;15(1):91-108.
- Savun-Hekimoğlu B, İşler Z, Hekimoğlu M, Burak S, Karlı D, Yücekaya A, ... & Ediger VŞ. Optimization of wastewater treatment systems for growing industrial parks. Science of The Total Environment. 2023; 905,167223.
- Şekercioğlu ÇH, Anderson S, Akçay E, Bilgin R, Can ÖE, Semiz G, Tavşanoğlu Ç, Yokeş MB, Soyumert A, Ipekdal K, Sağlam İK. Turkey’s globally important biodiversity in crisis. Biological Conservation. 2011 Dec 1;144(12):2752-69.
- Spearman CW, Ramadan HKA, Sonderup M, Saad-Hussein A. Impact of Migration on Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases in Africa. In: Saad-Hussein, A., Elwakil, R., Khomsi, K. (eds) Impact of Climate Change on Health in Africa. 2023; Springer, Cham. pp 152-194.
|
|
|
- Anzidei M, Trippanera D, Bosman A, Martin FF, Doumaz F, Vecchio A, Serpelloni E, Alberti T, Rende SF, Greco M. Relative Sea-Level Rise Projections and Flooding Scenarios for 2150 CE for the Island of Ustica (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2023 Oct 19;11(10):2013.
- Falciano A, Anzidei M, Greco M, Trivigno ML, Vecchio A, Georgiadis C, Patias P, Crosetto M, Navarro J, Serpelloni E, Tolomei C. The SAVEMEDCOASTS-2 webGIS: The Online Platform for Relative Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge Scenarios up to 2100 for the Mediterranean Coasts. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2023 Oct 30;11(11):2071.
- Loizidou XI, L. Orthodoxou D, I. Loizides M, Petsa D, Anzidei M. Adapting to sea level rise: participatory, solution-oriented policy tools in vulnerable Mediterranean areas. Environment Systems and Decisions. 2023 Jun 1:1-9.
- Pandžić K, Likso T, Biondić R, Biondić B. A Review of the Contribution of Satellite Altimetry and Tide Gauge Data to Evaluate Sea Level Trends in the Adriatic Sea within a Mediterranean and Global Context. GeoHazards. 2024; 5(1):112-141.
- Solarino S, Eva E, Anzidei M, Musacchio G, De Lucia M. Is Sea Level Rise a Known Threat? A Discussion Based on an Online Survey. GeoHazards. 2023 Oct 3;4(4):367-79.
- Vecchio A, Anzidei M, Serpelloni E. Sea level rise projections up to 2150 in the northern Mediterranean coasts. Environmental Research Letters. 2024 Jan 1;19(1):014050.
|
|
MedECC Coordinators: Wolfgang Cramer, Fatima Driouech and Joël Guiot
MedECC Secretariat: Kasia Marini and Julie Gattacceca
|
|
|
Please contact the MedECC Secretariat if you would like relevant publications, news, material to be published in the next newsletter to share with the community: contact@medecc.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
