The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Climate Change Initiative (EMME-CCI) was initiated in March 2019 by H.E. the president of the Republic of Cyprus and has matured into an ambitious scheme striving to coordinate a concerted effort by the countries of the region to address the climate crisis.

An evolving Regional Action Plan for the countries of the EMME, and an organizational structure to underpin its efforts, have been tentatively agreed within the framework of two regional Ministerial Meetings that took place in February and June 2022, and are expected to be formalized following COP27 (November 2022). The EMME Regional Action Plan is a set of proposed projects and services, that was put together based on the work of thirteen thematic Task Forces comprised of over 240 scientists under the coordination of The Cyprus Institute. It places emphasis on transboundary measures aimed at ameliorating regional climate change effects and advancing relevant mitigation actions, in line with the Paris Agreement.

The EMME-CCI will be inaugurated by the heads of EMME states in Sharm el-Sheikh at COP27 (November 2022) at the invitation of T.E. presidents A.F. El-Sisi of Egypt and N. Anastasiades of Cyprus.

CLIMATE CRISIS IN THE EMME REGION: A GLOBAL THREAT

The 450 million inhabitants of the eighteen countries comprising the EMME region are at risk of a 5°C increase in mean annual temperature by the end of the century, under a “business as usual” scenario. This will lead to a catastrophe of unprecedented scale, inducing social collapse and mass migration, unless immediate action is taken on mitigation and adaptation through strong regional cooperation.

The EMME-CCI initiative has a dual goal, namely, to initiate or enhance:

1. EMME-focused Research of regional and international research institutions towards a) a detailed understanding and accurate forecasting of regional climate change impacts b) the development of a science-based policy toolkit for the amelioration of the impacts of such phenomena and the identification of the appropriate per sector and application area (e.g., sub-regional, urban, etc.) adaptation and mitigation measures.
   
2. EMME-Specific Policies in coordination with transnational and multinational stakeholders and organizations (WMO, FAO, WHO) to address the overall impacts of climate change with the aim to a) support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and National Plans, b) adopt specific action programs for distinct sectors related to the economy and society, and c) to investigate specific techno-economic scenarios to mitigate climate change effects in the EMME countries. An indispensable component is the identification of the necessary resources for the implementation of such a program.

   To achieve the above objectives a detailed work program and plan to produce a series of scientific, policy and techno-economic studies, which have been fed into each other by the ministerial meetings, led to summits of the EMME countries (February and June 2022).

   Over the last years, the study was put together through the contributions of more than 240 experts primarily from the EMME region, which were organized into Scientific Task Forces. To facilitate the work program, the findings and recommendations of the Task Forces have been presented and discussed at the  2^nd International Conference “Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East”.   The EMME-CCI Interim Secretariat organized two meetings of the EMME ministers of the Environment in February and June 2022 to discuss the Regional Action Plan and the Governance and Funding of the Initiative. An EMME Leader’s Summit is being organized at COP27 (8 November 2022 in Egypt).