The Founder and President of EMEA, Prof. Rym Ayadi, was one of the speakers of the Ecomondo 2024 side event “Mediterranean Sea level rise, the phantom menace” on 06 November 2024. Ecomondo is a major international event in Europe and the Mediterranean basin for technologies, services and industrial solutions in the green and circular economy sectors.
The side event examined the scientific, economic and environmental challenges posed by rising seas, focusing on practical solutions to mitigate these impacts. It was organised by organized by Ecomondo, the Union for the Mediterranean and The European House Ambrosetti. The event started with an opening speech by Grammenos Mastrojeni, Senior Deputy Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean. It was moderated by Matteo Leonardi, Co-Founding Director of ECCO Think Tank.
Prof. Ayadi’s presentation was on the Economics of Sea Level Rise in the Mediterranean. She highlighted that “Sea level rise threatens the very foundation of Mediterranean economies—from tourism to agriculture and trade. To protect our future, we must embrace both adaptation and restoration, strengthening infrastructure and revitalizing natural defenses. Together, these strategies safeguard livelihoods, preserve biodiversity, and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.”
The panel included:
- Dr. Benedetta Brioschi, Partner and Head of Food, Retail and Sustainability Practice at the European House Ambrosetti (TEHA)
- Dr. Dario Camuffo, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
- Dr. Delphine Deryng, Partnership & User Engagement specialist at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
- Federico Mattei, Sustainable Food Systems Economist at FAO- Montain Partnership Secretariat
- Biagio di Terlizzi, Deputy Director at the International Center for Advanced Agronomic Studies in the Mediterranean (CIHEAM), Bari
- Prof. Amr Hamouda, President of the Marina Hazard and Mitigation Center, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt
- Dr. Alessandro Bratti, Secretary General of the Pò Basin Authority
- 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
- Elisabeth Sellwood, Senior Programme Manager, Environmental Security, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Jabal Hassanali, Strategy Manager at Global Island Partnership (GLISPA)
- Elisabetta Balzi, Head of Oceans, Seas and Water Unit, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission
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.
