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Il primo Rapporto di Valutazione del Mediterraneo (MAR1), preparato dalla rete indipendente di esperti mediterranei sui cambiamenti climatici e ambientali (MedECC) è stato pubblicato nel novembre 2020. MAR1 valuta le migliori conoscenze scientifiche sui cambiamenti climatici e ambientali e sui rischi associati nella regione del Mediterraneo, al fine di renderle disponibili ai responsabili politici, agli stakeholder e ai cittadini. Il rapporto comprende una Sintesi per i decisori politici (SPM) che coglie i messaggi chiave del MAR1, originariamente pubblicato in inglese e qui nella sua versione italiana. Il rapporto è stato redatto da 190 scienziati di 25 Paesi, che hanno contribuito individualmente e senza alcun compenso finanziario. L'UNEP/MAP - Segretariato della Convenzione di Barcellona, attraverso il suo Centro di attività regionale Plan Bleu, e il Segretariato dell'Unione per il Mediterraneo, lavoranno in partenariato per sostenere MedECC e contribuire alla creazione di un processo di valutazione scientifica solido e trasparente., Preferred Citation: Sintesi per i Decisori Politici come: Sintesi per i Decisori Politici. MedECC 2020 Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin - Current Situation and Risks for the Future. First Mediterranean Assessment Report [Cramer W, Guiot J, Marini K (ed.)] Unione per il Mediterraneo, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marsiglia, Francia, pp 11-40, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7515876.

Islandness is a contested concept, not just between disciplines but also cultures, entangled with what islands, island studies, and island identity are understood to be. The purpose of this article is to explore some of these different meanings, without necessarily unifying or reconciling them, with the aim of keeping multiple understandings of islandness in creative tension. We begin by considering islandness as smallness, recognizing that though many entry points into island studies relate to size in some way, what constitutes small is dependent on both context and worldview. Next, we consider islandness as culture, and the concept of island identity, which is expressed in varied forms. Finally, we consider framings of islands as others, and the extent to which contemporary narratives linked to islands are really inherent to islands or not. Ultimately, we conclude that although there is much to be gained from appreciating differing understandings of islandness, these multiple meanings make it critical to reflect on context wherever the term is used, and exercise care in assigning attributes and outcomes to islandness. Paid open access

Der erste, vom 2015 gegründeten unabhängigen Netzwerk von Mittelmeer-Experten für Klima- und Umweltveränderungen (MedECC) erstellte Bewertungsbericht für den Mittelmeerraum (MAR1), wurde im November 2020 veröffentlicht. MAR1 bewertet die besten wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse über Klima- und Umweltveränderungen und die damit verbundenen Risiken im Mittelmeerraum, um sie politischen Entscheidungsträgern, Stakeholdern und Bürgern zugänglich zu machen. Der Bericht enthält eine Zusammenfassung für politische Entscheidungsträger (Summary for Policymakers, SPM), die die Kernaussagen des MAR1 zusammenfasst, der ursprünglich in englischer Sprache und hier in der deutschen Fassung veröffentlicht wurde. 190 Wissenschaftler aus 25 Ländern haben den Bericht verfasst, alle haben ihren Beitrag in ihrer Eigenschaft als Einzelpersonen und ohne finanzielle Vergütung geleistet. Das UNEP/MAP - Sekretariat des Übereinkommens von Barcelona arbeitet über sein Regionales Aktivitätszentrum Plan Bleu und das Sekretariat der Union für das Mittelmeer partnerschaftlich zusammen, um MedECC zu unterstützen und zur Schaffung eines soliden und transparenten wissenschaftlichen Bewertungsprozesses beizutragen., Preferred citation: Zitierweise für dieses Dokument: MedECC – Zusammenfassung für politische Entscheidungsträger 2020 In: Klima- und Umweltveränderungen im Mittelmeerbecken – Aktuelle Situation und Risiken für die Zukunft (Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin – Current Situation and Risks for the Future). Erster Sachstandsbericht für den Mittelmeerraum [Cramer W., Guiot J., Marini K. (Hrsg.)] Union for the Mediterranean, Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP, Marseille, Frankreich, S. 11-40, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.7081907

Over the twentieth century, small island states in the Pacific experienced a dietary shift from traditional foods characteristic of the region to imported foods of poor nutritional quality. In Kiribati, noncommunicable diseases including diabetes and hypertension are now the largest burden of disease in the country and the primary cause of premature mortality. Food and nutritional security in Kiribati are now a major public health challenge. Climate change is likely to negatively affect traditional food production systems. In this study, twelve gender-segregated focus groups in six communities were carried out across Kiribati. Food charts were obtained from each focus group, where all food items mentioned by communities were listed and scored for health and importance. These were analysed using Excel and Stata. Health scores were on average 42.4% lower for imported food compared to local food with strongly significant findings at a p value of

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have been impacted by and responded to COVID-19 in ways that give us clues about vulnerabilities under climate change, as well as pathways to resilience. Here, we reflect on some of these experiences drawing on case study examples from the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Ocean SIDS, exploring how SIDS have responded to COVID-19 and considering the potential for coping mechanisms enacted for the pandemic to support long-term resilience to climate change. Island responses to the pandemic highlight both new directions, like tourist schemes that capitalise on the rise of remote working in Barbados and Mauritius, and reliance on tried and tested coping mechanisms, like bartering in Fiji. Some of the actions undertaken to respond to the pressures of the pandemic, such as visa schemes promoting ‘digital nomadism’ and efforts to grow domestic food production have climate resilience and equity dimensions that must be unpacked if their potential to contribute to more sustainable island futures is to be realised. Importantly, the diversity of contexts and experiences described here illustrates that there is no single ‘best’ pathway to climate-resilient post-pandemic futures for SIDS. While the emerging rhetoric of COVID-19 recovery often speaks of ‘roadmaps’, we argue that the journey towards a climate-resilient COVID-19 recovery for SIDS is likely to involve detours, as solutions emerge through innovation and experiment, and knowledge-sharing across the wider SIDS community.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether good governance across countries, utilising the Rule of Law indicator of the Worldwide Governance Indicators, is associated with economic growth, measured in terms of real GDP. It is to be noted that in this paper both variables are measured in terms of changes, comparing like with like. It is hypothesised that a country with a high level of economic development and a high level of good governance (typically an economically advanced country) tends to find it more difficult to improve these two variables, when compared to a country with lower levels GDP per capita and good governance (typically an economically backward country). This assumption is termed the “diminishing marginal governance effect”. Design/methodology/approach The paper tests the hypothesis that governance improvements are related to real GDP growth, using the panel data regression approach. In this way both variables are measured in terms of changes, comparing like with like. Relevant control variables are utilised to impose the ceteris paribus condition. Findings The paper finds that improvements in good governance are statistically and significantly related to economic growth. This confirms the hypothesised “diminishing marginal governance effect” explained above. Research limitations/implications The main research limitation of this paper is that measuring changes in the “Rule of Law” indicator over time may be subject to errors given that the “Rule of Law” score of each year is an average value with related standard deviations, and the latter vary from one year to another and from one country to another. Practical implications The major practical implication of this paper is that good governance matters for economic growth and that in order to produce evidence for this the governance score must be measured in terms of changes and not in terms of levels. Another implication is that equations that compare economic growth with levels of governance are misspecified as they would not be comparing like with like. Social implications There are various beneficial social implications associated with good governance which is considered as a major pillar for orderly social relationships. Economic growth also has important social implications as it means, if properly distributed, improvements in material well-being of the population. Originality/value The originality of this paper is that it measures governance in terms of changes and not of levels. Studies on the relationship between governance and economic growth that measure governance in terms of levels generally do not find a positive relationship between the two variables. In using changes in both governance and real GDP, this paper confirms the “diminishing marginal effect of governance”, hypothesis.

Community biogas facilities are being implemented in many informal urban settlements across Africa, often funded by foreign aid. We measured the public health impacts of a facility in Ethiopia, par...

Scattered around the tropics and sub-tropics are several dozen states and sub-national jurisdictions considered to be Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This book sets out to explore vulnerable and resilient communities in SIDS, how these are and are not impacted by climate change, and how to evaluate mitigation and adaptation activities. It also identifies factors capable of enhancing or inhibiting the long-term ability of people in SIDS to deal with climate change, and critiques discourse, vocabulary, and constructions used around SIDS and their dealing with vulnerability and resilience in the context of climate change. The book is structured to capture three distinct approaches to the topic of vulnerability and resilience in SIDS: concepts and dimensions, sectors, and places, ranging from single countries to comparative analysis among several SIDS, across Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Climate change is adding a further layer of complexity to existing vulnerabilities and resiliences across SIDS, as shown in various chapters in this book. Many SIDS have managed to build and enhance their resilience, often by building on a set of norms and long-established practices that stem from a mix of tradition and innovation, spearheading mitigation and adaptation measures. We believe that the scholarly research included in this book is relevant both to academia and to policy, as it provides crucial evidence from the perspective of SIDS, sometimes involving communities excluded from, or at the margins of, mainstream research.

The attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a key objective for small island developing states (SIDS) and sub-national island jurisdictions (SNIJs). Despite progress in reducing poverty and social inequalities, improving access to education and health and reducing gender inequalities, many are highly vulnerable to shocks. To assess their ability to improve resilience, the paper investigates their advancement towards achieving the SDGs. The existing literature suggests a mismatch between the progress indicated in the official SDGs’ reports and public perceptions about these achievements. Using online surveys of stakeholder groups undertaken in 2020; this research critically reviews the current literature on the progress towards achieving SDGs in two Indian Ocean islands: Mauritius and La Réunion. The study further juxtaposes public perceptions, categorises patterns and identifies gaps in policy design. The findings map out the actions needed at national, regional and international levels to address sustainable development challenges., peer-reviewed

The First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR1) prepared by the independent network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC) is now published.MAR1 assesses the best available scientific knowledge on climate and environmental change and associated risks in the Mediterranean Basin in order to render it accessible to policymakers, stakeholders and citizens.The report includes a Summary for Policymakers (SPM), which comprises the key messages of the MAR1. The text of the SPM has been approved during a Plenary Session of MedECC Stakeholders on September 22, 2020. The report has been written by 190 scientists from 25 countries, all contributing in individual capacity and without financial compensation.The UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention Secretariat, through its Plan Bleu Regional Activity Center, and the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean work in partnership to support MedECC, and to contribute to establish a sound and transparent scientific assessment process.

International audience; Virtually all sub-regions of the Mediterranean Basin, on land and in the sea, are impacted by recent anthropogenic changes in the environment. The main drivers of change include climate (temperature, precipitation, atmospheric circulation, extreme events, sea-level rise, sea water temperature, salinity and acidification), population increase, pollution, unsustainable land and sea use practices and non-indigenous species. In most areas, both natural ecosystems and human livelihoods are affected. Due to global and regional trends in the drivers, impacts will be exacerbated in the coming decades, especially if global warming exceeds 1.5 to 2°C above the pre-industrial level. Significantly enhanced efforts are needed in order to adapt to inevitable changes, mitigate change drivers and increase resilience.

The urban environment is characterised by many pressures caused by population growth, transport (and its related emissions), and the damage to green areas. Yet, there is a variety of ecosystem services available in urban areas, which may be deployed to ameliorate the current problems and foster their sustainability. This paper reviews the role of ecosystem services as tools for sustainability, based on an urban setting. It also describes a series of multi-country case studies, where an assessment of their functions using a set of benefits valuation approaches such as health benefits, economic benefits, social benefits and benefits to climate resilience, are provided, along with an appraisal of their role in up- keeping the overall quality of the urban environment in the studied areas. Policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the role of ecosystem services, and fostering sustainability in the sampled sites -and beyond-are provided.

Food security is identified as one of the main challenges for the 21st century. In the Pacific islands this is especially the case due to natural, topographical, social, environmental, and economic constraints and the influence of globalisation that has forced many populations to resort to imported food. While hunger is rarely experienced by households, poor nutrition leads to a considerable noncommunicable disease burden. The effects of climate change will further exacerbate food security challenges in the region. Kiribati has one of the highest prevalence rates for obesity, diabetes and hypertension anywhere in the world. While past studies have explored regional and state-level food security challenges, there is comparatively little literature on household-level decision making processes related to food. Through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, we identified several themes describing challenges to achieving food security in the island nation, including several environmental challenges that hinder food security. We also include some policy recommendations based on these findings. These challenges and policy recommendations may be applicable to other atoll island communities in the Pacific and other remote coastal communities worldwide.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are heavily affected by climate change, challenging their economic development as a result. Although research on SIDS under climate change is gaining momentum, lack of data and research capacity remains a major problem. Similarly, little is known about the interactions between poverty and responses to climate change. In this chapter, we conduct a case study exploring how coastal communities on Rabi Island, Fiji, are affected by climate change. We identify reactive coping strategies to climate variability and change, and explore the extent to which these responses are conducive to climate change adaptation, adopting the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and using the CRiSTAL tool. We find that the majority of shocks are of a climatic or weather-related nature. We also find that the communities tend to adopt sustainable coping strategies in response to climatic shocks. However, the increased frequency of such events, and the disproportionate burden on lower-income households, can act as barriers for the effective uptake of adaptation measures. This study can potentially inform local and regional policy as it pinpoints possible areas of intervention where strategic activities could support adaptation strategies to address climate change vulnerabilities.

In this paper we present a literature review about the need for education to promote an understanding of climate change and its impacts, and the merits of teaching climate change in a multidisciplinary approach. We also refer to the external and internal multiplier effect of multidisciplinary education. We report on the results of a survey carried out by the Climate Change Platform (The Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta hosts the Climate Change Platform (CCP), with the objective of facilitating collaboration between University entities and individual academics in order to foster teaching and research initiatives relating to climate change, as well as strengthening cooperation with climate research centres outside Malta. During its three years of existence, the CCP, fully cognizant that the analysis of climate change involves various disciplines, has taken measures to encourage multidisciplinary teaching and research at the University of Malta, with a focus on small island states, which according the IPCC fifth assessment report (WGII, Chap. 29) are highly vulnerable to the harmful impacts of climate change. The paper will describe the approach adopted by the CCP in its endeavour to involve various Faculties, Institutes and Centres at the University of Malta to collaborate in teaching and research on climate change issues.) of the University of Malta, among lectures who teach subjects directly associated with climate change. It transpires from the literature and from the University of Malta survey that multidisciplinary climate change education is very important, given the complexity and the interlinkages of this field of study, but it also has a number of downsides, mostly related to the coordination work that will be needed when various disciplines are involved and the fear that the students could find it difficult to cope with many satellite subjects. The main message that emerges from the literature, as well as from the results of our survey, is that although a multidisciplinary approach to the teaching of climate change education is highly desirable, its success depends on the extent to which it is well organised and suitably coordinated.

Small island developing states such as Kiribati in the Equatorial Pacific are among the most climate vulnerable places on Earth. While there is a considerable body of literature on the scale of the problem, there is very little research on the lived experiences of communities, their concerns and priorities, and how they are coping with environmental and climate hazards. As a result, a top-down approach is often adopted in adaptation projects that may not meet the real needs of communities, endangering the long-term sustainability and viability of interventions. Through a series of participatory focus groups carried out in Kiribati in 2019, this study explores what communities prioritise and wish to see implemented to cope and build resilience to present and foreseeable future challenges. The outcomes of this research show environmental risks and hazards faced by communities are strongly associated with climate projections. Communities are currently trying to adapt to challenges, both old and new, with technologies and materials available. While there is a degree of spontaneous adaptation occurring, these problems are insurmountable without solving present challenges in Kiribati, such as access to better technology and markets without becoming over-reliant. Including communities in co-designed interventions can also ensure sustainability in climate adaptation projects. The findings of this research can inform policy and climate change adaptation measures in other similar atoll islands in the Pacific.

This book has three main goals. The first is to celebrate the work of a great public health figure, the late A.J. (Tony) McMichael (1942–2014). The second is to position contemporary public health issues in an interdisciplinary context and in ways that highlight the interdependency between the environment, human institutions and behaviours; a broad approach championed by Tony. The third is to encourage emerging and future public health leaders to advocate for policies and cultural change to sustain and improve human health, from a foundation of objective scholarship. The book’s foreword and 38 chapters were written by people who were inspired by Tony; many of whom worked with him at some point in the last 40 years. Its structure reflects five major public health domains, each of which Tony made major contributions to in an extremely productive academic life: occupational health and safety; environmental and social epidemiology; nutrition and food systems; climate change and health; and ecosystem change and infectious disease. The final section, ‘Transformation’, is dedicated to Tony’s desire for public health scientists to propose adaptive and mitigating solutions to the problems they were observing. Each section contains at least one key publication involving Tony. There is also a selection of artworks from an exhibition which formed part of the conference held to honour Tony at The Australian National University in 2012. This conference formed the first part of Tony’s festschrift, completed by this book.

Rabi Island is a powerful example of how intersecting conditions produce heightened vulnerability to climate change. This remote Fiji island is home to 5000 Banaba Islanders originally from Kiribat...

We thank Lisa Alexander for her helpful comments on climate models and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions on the manuscript. The following people provided community liaison, interpreting, research assistance and logistical support: Kassahun Ararso, Melaku Hailu, Sarah Mallia, Eyob Lalensa, Tesfahun Bekele, Bereket Mola, Zegeye H Michael, Zelalem Tarekegn, Muluwork Gemechu, Tamerat Mezgebe, Behailu, William Grech, and Dominik Kalweit., Climate change in Ethiopia is occurring against a backdrop of rapid population growth and urbanization, entrenched poverty and a heavy burden of disease, and there is little information on specific health risks with which to approach adaptation planning and strengthen adaptive capacity. Using detailed household surveys (400 households, 1660 individuals, 100% participation) and focus groups in two informal urban communities in the Southern city of Shashemene, we identified locally relevant hazards and found that climate change is likely to intensify existing problems associated with poverty.Wealso showed that despite their proximity (situated only 1 kmapart) the two communities differ in key characteristics that may affect climate change vulnerability and require nuanced approaches to adaptation. Detailed, community-level research is therefore necessary, especially where other sources of data are lacking, to ensure that adaptation activities in the world’s poorest communities address relevant risks., The study received funding from the Maltese Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the former Maltese Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, and from the University of Malta Scholarship and Bursaries Fund, and from the University of Western Sydney., peer-reviewed

A water point was installed in 2012 as part of a biogas development initiative in an informal urban community of 200 households. The facility provides sanitation, gas for cooking, and organic fertiliser. It consists of four latrines and an inlet for animal waste, a fermentation chamber where the biogas (methane) is produced, and a communal kitchen with four stoves. The slurry byproduct is rendered safe by fermentation and used as fertiliser for the community garden., peer-reviewed

This chapter describes the integration of stakeholder perspectives into the analysis of policy impacts within SENSOR. In particular, the chapter reports on a phase of ‘extensive’ research in selected ‘Sensitive Areas Case Studies’ (SACS), resulting in an overview of stakeholder perspectives on key sustainability issues. An understanding of these issues is presented as a critical reference point for subsequent research phases focusing on the impact assessment of land use policies. The discussion engages with one of the project’s central preoccupations, namely, that the production of thorough-going policy impact assessments which describe changes in social, economic and environmental systems across European regions is limited by current modelling capacity and data availability. In response, SENSOR proposes to extend the analytical scope of the automated tools through participatory research in selected ‘case study’ regions. The results of this research will be made available to the end user through the SIAT user interface. Results of the early, extensive phases of participatory research are presented and some implications for the ongoing design and analytical extension of the tools are discussed.

Cross-cutting environmental, social and economic changes may have harsh impacts on sensitive regions. To address sustainability issues by governmental policy measures properly, the geographical delineation of sensitive regions is essential. With reference to the European impact assessment guidelines from 2005, sensitive regions were identified by using environmental, social and economic data and by applying cluster analysis, United Nation Environmental Policy priorities and expert knowledge. On a regionalised ‘Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics’ (NUTS) level and for pre-defined sensitive region types (post-industrial zones, mountains, coasts and islands) 31 % of the European area was identified as sensitive. However, the delineation mainly referred to social and economic issues since the regional data bases on environmental indicators are limited and do not allow the separation of medium-term vital classes of sensitive regions. Overall, the sensitive regions showed indicator values differing from the EU- 25 average., peer-reviewed

The semester of the Maltese presidency of the Council of the European Union (i.e. from January 1st to June 30th, 2017) saw significant constitutional developments in Tunisia, Libya and Syria. In Tunisia some important organic laws implementing the 2014 Constitution were adopted, in Libya the Constitutional Drafting Assembly approved a new draft Constitution, and in Syria the Russian Government presented its draft proposal for a new Syrian Constitution. By supporting the constitutional processes in these countries during the semester of its presidency of the Council of the European Union, Malta followed the path of its “predecessors”.