MEDCOP 21 - paving the way for Paris

At the invitation of the BP/RAC, a PAP/RAC representative attended the MEDCOP 21, Mediterranean Climate Summit, organised on 4-5 June at Marseilles. The event was organised by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, under the high patronage of Mr. François Hollande, President of the French Republic. This event was organised in the context of preparation for the UNFCCC 21st Conference of Parties which is to be held from November 30 to December 11, 2015 in Paris.

Being an area of major challenges in terms of the survival of vulnerable territories, climate change in the Mediterranean will have a considerable impact on both natural resources (modification of the rich yet fragile biodiversity, depletion of aquifers, soil erosion, loss of coastal areas, etc.) and on human activities, affecting large areas of the Mediterranean economy including agriculture, tourism, industry, energy production, etc. This event aimed to contribute to the construction of a Mediterranean agenda demonstrating the contribution of local authorities, associations, businesses and networks working as a catalyst for sustainable development. The relevance of the initiative undertaken by the Region, as well as readiness of the Mediterranean stakeholders was also confirmed with the fact that 500 representatives were expected, while 2000 arrived. 27 proposals, 4 amendments, 133 good practices and a declaration (http://www.medcop21.com/27-propositions/) were prepared and submitted to Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of foreign affairs and international development, who is going to preside the Paris event. Finally, it should be mentioned that a remarkable job has been done by the organisers, who in addition to host such a big event, managed to design it in an ecological way, placing a lot of attention to the mitigation measures.