The sessions > Science for a sustainable development

15 years after the first installment, a new report on the current state of the environment and development in the Mediterranean (RED 2019), the fruit of a collective multi-partner effort coordinated by Plan Bleu as part of the Action Plan for the Mediterranean from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP / MAP) - Barcelona Convention, will soon be published. At a time of increasing concern about environmental pressures and impacts, this session will highlight the main conclusions, responses and key messages for policy makers. Despite the progress made, the current environmental and development trajectories do not allow the achievement of mutually agreed objectives, such as the good environmental status of the sea and the Mediterranean coasts or the objectives of sustainable development in the Mediterranean countries. The dominant consumption and production patterns must be profoundly changed because they are based on the unsustainable consumption of resources and have a negative impact on ecosystems, human well-being and health. New trajectories are absolutely necessary and measures benefiting from strong political support are essential to translate regional and national objectives into local actions and to enforce commitments.

Created in 2015, the Mediterranean Group of Experts on Environmental and Climate Change (MedECC) is a unique network of over 600 scientists, based on the IPCC approach, dealing with environmental and climate change in the Mediterranean region. The MedECC meets several objectives of regional institutions, such as UNEP / MAP, through the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016-2025, the regional framework for adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean and the Group of Experts on Union for the Mediterranean climate change. This open and independent international network of scientific experts aims to consolidate the best scientific knowledge and make it available to decision-makers, main stakeholders and the general public. After 4 years of work involving more than 100 scientific authors from 20 Mediterranean countries and a transparent review process, the first scientific assessment of the risks of climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean basin will soon be published. During this session, the first key messages intended for decision-makers will be presented.