Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Need for Cooperation

The Eastern Mediterranean region has seen significant changes in climate conditions over the last few decades. Enhanced changes are anticipated for the coming decades, fully justifying the region’s assignment as a “climate change hot spot”. Even though, contributing only marginally to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the global scale, the need for effective mitigation measures and a comprehensive adaptation strategy are urgently needed.

A recent study evaluates the currently declared mitigation commitments under the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and planned adaptation plans for six countries in the Eastern Mediterranean: Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Palestine and Türkiye (Lange, subm.). This is compared to concretely ongoing activities, as well as additional needs to device measures aimed to reduce the adverse consequences of ongoing and future climate change in these countries.

All of the named countries are parties to the UNFCCC and have signed and ratified the UN-Paris Agreement of 2015. However, their current emissions as well as their GHG reduction goals (Nationally Determined Contributions, NDC) differ significantly. Current annual emissions vary between a minimum of 3 200 Gg CO₂equ. (Palestine) to a maximum of 459 102 Gg CO₂equ. (Türkiye; UNFCCC, 2016; https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/10.pdf#page=30). As to the NDCs, the differences between the countries considered here are even more drastic. While reduction targets amounted to 24%, appr. 38% and 27% (relative to recent emission values) by 2030 for Cyprus, Greece and Israel, respectively, emissions are expected to increase significantly during this period for Egypt, Palestine and Türkiye.

Following recent studies (see: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung; series “Climate Change Mitigation in the Eastern Mediterranean”, https://www.kas.de/en/web/remena), different suggestions/recommendations for mitigation and adaptation measures have been outlined for each of the countries considered here. These publications basically address the impacts of climate change through national strategies and specific measures including: the utilization of renewable energy sources; enhancing energy efficiency; sustainable development, in general, and sustainable seawater desalination, in particular; smart and water saving irrigation technologies; reducing the threats of biodiversity losses and forest fires; and devising adaptation measures to safeguard the tourism sector. Given the current crisis in Israel and Palestine and uncertain future prospects for a less disturbed development in the region, projections for mitigation and adaptation measures for Palestine, in particular, remain largely hypothetical.

However, a common theme in recent studies addressing measures to reduce adverse climate change impacts, is the need for more cooperation, both bi- and multi-laterally. While the EU members Cyprus and Greece follow the European Green Deal of the European Commission and the mitigation strategy outlined therein, the other countries strive to develop closer ties to their neighboring countries and/or the European Union. The “Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Climate Change Initiative”, proposed by the Republic of Cyprus, offers a possible mechanism to advance such cooperation in the region.