UPDATE 9/11/2017 (17h30)
Panelists at Pavillon C06 (ENERGIES2050), Zone Bonn.
In the joint session at COP23, FEMISE and Institut de la Méditerranée (IM) presented the preliminary version of the report “The challenges of climate change in a Mediterranean in transition – From the Paris agreement to implementation” published with ENERGIES2050.
After a brief presentation of IM and FEMISE activities, Dr. Constantin Tsakas (General Manager of Institut de la Méditerranée, General Secretary of FEMISE) highlighted how the report is part of an ongoing dynamic between ENERGIES2050, FEMISE and IM. As part of their partnership, the three associations produce an annually-updated report on climate issues in the Mediterranean, putting into perspective the economic realities of countries of the South bank and suggesting courses of action and policy recommendations. Annual updates allow for the report to be evolutive, integrating the exchanges with the civil society, private and public actors. The idea being to i. produce research that is policy relevant and which can lead to concrete solutions and ii. foster an ecosystem of EU-Med actors associated with Climate Change concerns to have impact at the macro, meso and micro levels. The powerpoint presentation of Dr. Tsakas is available here.
Regarding the Paris agreement, fulfilling it requires countries to rapidly implement nationally determined contributions (NDCs), meet emissions reduction targets for 2020 and set future targets that are even more ambitious. Dr Tsakas stressed that this is far from a done deal for the South Mediterranean (MED) countries as a whole, where a lot remains to be done to formulate the many rules and prerequisite procedures and to specify more clear-cut means of implementation.
Asked on which Med countries are ahead, Dr Tsakas stressed that research show countries like Morocco to be considerably ahead in terms of policies and actions towards climate change. Countries such as Algeria, Tunisia and Palestine, also seem to be willing to take valiant measures for mitigation adaptation to climate change. Others, seem to be reforming mostly on paper or facing reluctance from domestic economic interests.
Replying to questions as to what governments could do more effectively, Dr Tsakas stressed that MED governments and stakeholders need to think about the various constraints on the effectiveness of the Paris Agreement, identify partners and practices that could complement the process more broadly. They should stop developing their strategies in isolation and take into account that several MED-specific programs and institutions are already present to help in implementing climate-change policies. Governments will need to better map their threatened regions, dress a long-term plan on climate change and actually apply it. However, solutions shall always be taken in an integrated manner, considering the economic and social reality of MED countries after the Arab Spring and the situation of workers in energy-intensive industries.
Dr Tsakas invited participants to provide feedback as to their respective countries positions on the environment and share their concerns which could then be included in the finalized version of the report. This being an evolutive and dynamic process, Dr Tsakas stressed that the finalized report will be presented during a launch event organized by Institut de la Méditerranée in partnership with ENERGIES 2050 and FEMISE in Marseille (France, end of Q1 2018). During this event a ENERGIES2050 report on Territorialization of Climate Change Agreements will also be presented. Presenting the two complementary reports at the Marseille workshop will allow initiating debates between academics, the civil society and policymakers at the local level to go towards concrete solutions.
UPDATE 9/11/2017 (12h30)
FEMISE and Institut de la Méditerranée were invited by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA) and ENERGIES 2050 Association as discussants to the Session “Issues and Opportunities for the Territorialization of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in Africa” (11H00 – 12H30 – PAVILION ENERGIES 2050 CGLUA AND DING TAI CO., LTD. – ZONE BONN).
In his speech, Dr. Constantin Tsakas (GM Institut de la Méditerranée, GS FEMISE) emphasized how the biodiversity of the Mediterranean and Africa is threatened by climate change. The increase in temperatures could lead to a decrease in tourist demand in coastal areas by almost 6% in some countries. Difficulties of access to water resources are also increasing in some territories. In addition, climate change would also affect local agriculture through its effect on crop yields.
Dr. Tsakas emphasized that territorialisation of climate agreements is necessary by setting the objectives of the agreements at the level of communities and territories. An attenuation component would help to control energy demand and reduce CO2 emissions. An adaptation component would reduce the vulnerability of the territory. There is a need to move towards policies that go beyond sectoral decompartmentalisation and which can involve more local and regional policy-makers, entrepreneurs and representatives of civil society. The ENERGIES2050-UCLGA Report on the Territorialization of NDCs could be an ideal springboard for initiating the debate.
This report is complementary to the ENERGIES2050-IM-FEMISE report on “The challenges of climate change in a Mediterranean in transition” presented in a future session. Both are part of a dynamic to allow the emergence of a real ecosystem on issues related to climate change.
8/11/2017
Stéphane Pouffary (ENERGIES2050), Gaelle Yomi (CGLU Afrique) and Constantin Tsakas (Institut de la Méditerranée and FEMISE)
FEMISE and IM were today’s special guest speakers at the FRANCE COP23 Pavilion (16h-17h), along with our partners ENERGIES2050 and CGLU Afrique. Many thanks to FRANCE Pavilion and our partners ENERGIES2050 for a constructing debate !
Now, join us tomorrow Thursday, November 9th, 13:00-14: 30, for the IM-FEMISE session at COP23 presenting the preliminary version of the report “The challenges of climate change in a Mediterranean in transition – From the Paris agreement to implementation” that we publish with ENERGIES2050 (last year’s edition here). The presentation will take place at Pavilion C06 (ENERGIES2050), Bonn Zone. Come join us!
Pavillon C06 (ENERGIES2050), Zone Bonn.
For the pre-COP23 interview of Dr. Constantin Tsakas, click here.
Moreover, on the occasion of the COP23, we invite you to rediscover the FEMISE publications on the theme “Environment, energy, climate change” by clicking here.
Finally, we invite you to rediscover the MED2012 Report on Green Growth in the Mediterranean, a flagship report in which the experts from Institut de la Méditerranée and FEMISE participated. This report addressed the issue of how green growth can achieve sustainable development by enhancing the productivity of natural assets while preventing the negative social consequences of Environment degradation, notably in terms of the fundamental issue of employment. It is available here.