Mediterranean sea level rise, the phantom menace?

Climate change is a global challenge, but its impacts are not the same all over. The Mediterranean region is more exposed, both for climatic and socio-economic reasons, and if we don’t strike now the right choices, it can collapse. The area is the second fastest warming globally, and the waters of this shared sea are the fastest warming and therefore fastest rising globally. Ensuing dramatic climate and environment disruptions are foreseen in a tale not only of severe impacts but also of fragilizing unevenness around the Mediterranean that could amplify instability, large population movements, or even conflicts. Of the many forecasted impacts sea level rise is of unprecedented magnitude as it could jeopardize the regional food security through salinization of fertile plains, together with many other severe consequences – coastal erosion, threats to heritage. But of all threats it is the most neglected, almost exorcised in its magnitude: athe event aims to launch  necessary call for planning and action.

Session Chair

Ambassador Grammenos Mastrojeni, Senior Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean

Programme

Moderator:
Matteo Leonardi, Co-Founding Director of ECCO Think Tank

Scene Setting 
Climate, the Mediterranean Hotspot
Grammenos Mastrojeni, Senior Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)

A pragmatic overlook on the years to come
Benedetta Brioschi, Food, Retail and Sustainability Practice Director at the European House Ambrosetti (TEHA)

The Science, the Facts
An overview of the Mediterranean, and sea level rise and storm surges flooding Venice: past, present and future
Dario Camuffo on behalf of MeDECC, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

Climate monitoring in the Mediterranean: the role of Copernicus Climate Change Service
Delphine Deryng, Partnership & User Engagement specialist at Copernicus European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)

The Economics of Sea Level Rise in the Mediterranean
Sea level rise and implications for overall development goals
Rym Ayadi, President and Founder of the Euro Mediterranean Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA)

Not only the sea is changing 
Another side of the equation: mountains and glaciers crisis
Federico Mattei, Sustainable Food Systems Economist at FAO- Montain Partnership Secretariat

Erosion and salinization, solutions in agriculture and nature
Sea level rise and soil salinization: impact on the planet, the region, and on human activities
Biagio di Terlizzi, Deputy Director at the International Center for Advanced Agronomic Studies in the Mediterranean (CIHEAM), Bari

The deltas “soft-spots”: comparing experiences between the Nile and the Po basins
Impacts of sea level rise along the Nile Delta
Amr Hamouda, President of the Marina Hazard and Mitigation Center, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt

The Pò, a perspective from the largest river delta in Italy
Alessandro Bratti, Secretary General of the Pò Basin Authority

A threat to our roots and identity: sea level rise and historical heritage
Greece in the frontline, the threats to a common heritage for mankind
George Kremlis, Ambassador of the EPLO to Bulgaria | Chair of the UNECE Espoo Convention & the SEA Protocol, and former Principal Advisor to the Greek Prime Minister on energy, climate, environment and circular economy

Mediterranean Rise and Environmental Security Perspectives
Is Sea level rise a problem for security in the Mediterranean Region?
Elisabeth Sellwood, Senior Programme Manager, Environmental Security, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

The most Exposed: Ocean Islands and Small Island Developing States
Teachings of a long lasting battle
Jabal Hassanali, Strategy Manager at Global Island Partnership (GLISPA)

Conclusions
From Awareness to Action
Elisabetta Balzi, Head of Oceans, Seas and Water Unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission