Risks associated with environmental change in the Mediterranean Basin

Organizer: Wolfgang Cramer
Format: Online, Evening

Abstract:
The Mediterranean Basin is a hotspot of climate change, biodiversity and socio-environmental dynamics. Substantial knowledge exists about risks associated with climate change, land and sea use change, pollution and biodiversity loss, but this information is highly uneven in quality between different subregions and it has never previously been assessed in a coherent way. Yet, policies for adaptation to environmental change and to broader challenges are in need of a scientific basis for better decision making. A network of 700 scientists has accepted this challenge and produced an assessment report that aims to improve on the situation by providing a more balanced analysis, including a procedure to relate regional development issues to better information of the underlying environmental risks. In this session, we specifically address some sectors of the MedECC assessment, notably the risks associated with sea-level rise, marine resources, challenges relate to water use, the gains that could be reached by improving the renewable energy use. The scientific assessment is embedded into an emerging science-policy interface supported by major government stakeholders from the entire region.

Themes: Knowledge-to-Action