A set of proposals for political action in the Mediterranean against the climate crisis is presented at COP29

The issues at stake and recommendations for political action in the face of the climate crisis affecting the Mediterranean area are the focus of a a report presented today at COP29 by a group of more than 25 research centres and think tanks from 10 countries in the area, the MATTCCh (Mediterranean Alliance of Think Tanks on Climate Change). The document includes as priorities the ambition in climate finance; boosting Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) (especially linked to agriculture), debt-for-nature swaps, reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the entire economy by 2035, a decisive and coordinated energy transition aimed at increasing resilience, as well as strong rules, transparent governance and social and environmental safeguards for carbon markets.

The Med Alliance of Think Tanks on Climate Change is a network of knowledge and research organizations from all over the Mediterranean region, to which CREAF belongs, that in July 2024 requested that the new Commissioner for the Mediterranean of the European Commission take climate change into account as a priority.  It was launched at the 3rd MedCOP in Tangier in 2023 and is supported by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European Climate Foundation (ECF) of North Africa and Turkey. 

The priorities and desired results from the Mediterranean perspective according to the proposal of the MATTCCh alliance are specified as follows: 

1/ Ambition in climate finance

Thematic sub-objectives (adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage) and levels for providing and mobilizing economic resources by developed countries should be contemplated. This ensures that the shortcomings of the $100 billion are avoided, particularly about the lack of thematic balance and clarity on the quality of financial instruments mobilized. In addition, the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) process must be aligned with other thematic workstreams, including the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), to enable its full implementation and targets. 

2/ Expand funding for Nature-based Solutions projects

Develop strategies to mobilize private capital for Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) through the creation of risk reduction mechanisms, such as public-private partnership schemes. This should also include nature bonds, blended finance models and incentives for private investors to support NBS, especially in the Mediterranean, whose ecosystems are prime candidates for these investments. 

3/ Nature-based solutions and agriculture

Agroforestry and/or agroecology are ways to ensure that smallholder farmers, the majority in the Mediterranean region, are included in funding targets and means of implementation.

4/ Debt-for-nature swaps

This action would address the limited fiscal space of southern Mediterranean countries. It could include concessional financing and grant-based support to these countries, ensuring that they have the necessary resources to implement large-scale NBS projects without putting pressure on their existing debt burden.

5/ Increased coordination in the region for Paris-aligned NDCs

The Mediterranean region needs diplomatic efforts that promote a common regional target of 1 TW (TERAMed Initiative that aims to deploy one million megawatts of renewable power in the Mediterranean by 2030), to increase economic resilience and boost competitiveness in a low-carbon world. Specifically, next-generation Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) should include economy-wide greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2035 and more ambitious targets for 2030 in line with limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C and prioritizing actions consistent with the Global Stocktake. A failed, incomplete or uncoordinated energy transition in the Mediterranean region entails, first and foremost, social and economic costs for Mediterranean countries and the resilience of their societies. 

6/ UN carbon markets

This is an issue on which no agreement was reached at previous world summits. Our expectation in Baku is that parties will ensure that the Paris Agreement Article 6 carbon markets (both 6.2 and 6.4) are governed by strong rules, transparent governance and social and environmental safeguards.

7/ Additional loss and damage funding

New and additional funding must be provided, as current pledges to the Fund are inadequate and insufficient to meet the needs of developing countries.

The proposals for political action are elaborated on the basis of identifying 5 major issues at stake at COP29 linked to the climate of the Euro-Mediterranean region according to MATTCCh. The alliance of centres brings together specialists in science, economics, political science, sociology and communication from the south and north of the Euro-Mediterranean region. These are the following: 

1/ New national climate commitments

Countries must announce their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by February 2025 and before COP30 in Brazil. These pledges will boost the world's collective efforts to address climate change in line with the Paris Agreement.

Renewable energy offers an opportunity to address the shared challenges faced by countries across the Mediterranean region. By harnessing its vast renewable potential, especially in solar and wind energy, estimated to exceed 3000 GW, the Mediterranean region can significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which will strengthen regional cooperation, economic resilience and social stability. 

2/ A unified regional approach to decarbonization

Should aim to strengthen international cooperation and increase diplomatic efforts in the Mediterranean region to improve institutional cooperation, increase public and private financing, coordinate efforts to address local financing obstacles, and define a common vision of low-carbon fuels as a complement to electrification and efficiency. 

3/ New Collective Quantified Objective on climate finance

At COP29, Parties will establish the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), the discussion of which focuses on the size of the new climate finance target. Developed countries claim that achieving a robust and responsive quantified goal requires broadening the contributor base, however, based on the principle of shared responsibility among Parties, developing countries reject this approach, citing Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement. The NCQG should be structured around thematic subgoals (for mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage. Progress on the implementation of Article 2.1c has been stalled by the lack of a shared understanding on the scope of climate finance, how it should be measured, and how responsibilities will be divided between countries and private actors. 

4/ Guiding rules for carbon markets

With no outcome on Article 6 at COP28, the CMA faces intense pressure to reach agreement at COP29. Divisions persist on clarity, transparency, and social and environmental safeguards with respect to allowing cooperative approaches and Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs).

5/ 1st Loss and Damage Report 

Parties are expected to review progress since the first operational year of the fund and prioritize the signing of contribution agreements to mobilize pledged funds. For reference, only Japan has deposited its pledged funds so far. Sequencing is important, as the World Bank trusteeship and host country agreements must be formalized prior to signing contracts.

About us:

Some of the members of MATTCCh are Arab Reform Initiative (Jordan), CREAF (Spain), ECCO Climate (Italy), Euro-Med Economists Association (Spain), European Centre for Development Policy Management (Brussels), Ember energy (global), E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism, Europe, UK, USA), IMAL (Morocco), Natural Resource Governance Institute (Africa, Latin America, UK, USA), Real Instituto Elcano (Spain), Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (Egypt), Sustainable Economics and Finance Association (Turkey), The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (Turkey), and ZERO (Portugal), among others.