During the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference on the "Climate Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East" (emmeclimate2024.cyi.ac.cy), President Nikos Christodoulides announced the revival and strengthening of the Initiative undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus in 2019 to address the impacts of Climate Change in the region.

 

The Conference is co-organized by The Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, and The Cyprus Institute from September 26 to 28, 2024, in Larnaca. Eminent scientists and policymakers from twenty-two countries have convened to examine scientific evidence and to debate adaptation and mitigation strategies for the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (EMME) region.

 

President Christodoulides stated that the Cypriot Government has decided to revive the Initiative, with emphasis on the implementation of the Regional Action Plan, as agreed at the COP27 Summit in November 2022. He committed his government to intensifying efforts at both the political and scientific levels to strengthen regional synergies aimed at ameliorating the dire consequences of Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.  "We must act immediately, decisively, and collectively. We must act as neighbours and allies against Climate Change" the President emphasized.

 

Referring to Cyprus as an example of a country experiencing the effects of Climate Change, President Christodoulides noted that in the past five years, the temperature has increased by 1.5 degrees compared to the average of previous decades, with all months breaking temperature records of the past 40 years. This, he said, affects the environment and ecosystem and causes serious health problems, endangering human lives.

 

In his message, Prince Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan, a prominent international figure widely known for his initiatives in addressing climate and environmental threats, sounded the alarm, reminding of the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who stated that "Global warming is over; the planet is entering the phase of global boiling".  Prince Hassan highlighted that prolonged heatwaves and sandstorms could make the regions of West Asia and North Africa uninhabitable. Due to extreme disasters, more than 20 million people are displaced each year over the last decade, with 80% of displaced individuals coming from Asia, where over a third of the world's poorest people live. The phenomenon of "climate refugees" is a global problem that requires a global solution, he noted.

 

Also speaking at the Conference's Opening Ceremony were Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Mrs. Maria Panayiotou, President of the International Program Committee, Professor Costas N. Papanicolas, President of the Cyprus Institute, Professor Stavros Malas, and President of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, Academician Achilles C. Emilianides.

 

During the Conference, measurements and model predictions for climate change and its impacts will be presented and debated, particularly in the sectors of energy, water, food and agriculture, oceans, health, and cultural heritage. Mitigation strategies, and adaptation strategies at a regional level with emphasis on transboundary cooperation will be presented, and economic, legal, and ethical aspects, as well as artistic expressions of concern for the critical issue of the climate crisis will be debated.

 

The Climate Crisis represents the greatest challenge of the 21st century, with its impacts expected to be even more intense in Cyprus and the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East regions, areas identified as highly sensitive. For this reason, the design and implementation of immediate actions to address the crisis, with the cooperation of states, is an urgent necessity.

 

The International Conference on the "Climate Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East" is endorsed and supported by the European Commission Representation in Cyprus.