ENERGIES AND SYNERGIES: a time to power human rights in the Mediterranean

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN PARIS AND MARRAKECH?

«Europe» and North Africa… a weird idea

MANAGE RATIONALLY A RAPID DISRUPTION OF A 10.000 YEARS OLD, CLIMATE DETERMINED, BALANCE AND SET OF INTERESTS

o Europe and the

Mediterranean – a “climate

exception” that enabled the

agricultural revolution and in-

printed human civilization

o Taming a climate induced re-

shufflement of interests

o Drivers of competition

(shipping)

o Drivers of cooperation

(forestry)

o Turning it into an opportunity

of common growth and

sustainable co-development

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into the general color scheme

AZORES ANTICYCLONE

AFRICAN ANTICYCLONES

BALANCE…

Who cares?

NO BOUNDARIES

Geographic globality

SYSTEMIC GLOBALITY

No isolated sector

Environment

Peace H. Rights

Development

A coherent balance with no

trade offs?(coherent feedback loops)

Sahel: the Active Zone

SAHEL: A MAP OF HUNGER AND CONFLICTS

MIGRATIONS

1. THE ENVIRONMENT – STABILITY NEXUS

ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS CAUSE THE CONTRACTION, LOSS OR DISPLACEMENT OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES:

Productivity, but also purification, bio-sanitary, local climate regulation services, and others, that extend to include

empowerment and cultural identity services

AND THEIR RANDOMIZATION

While you hear about climate feedback loops

THE WORST FEEDBACK LOOP IS NATURE – MANKIND - NATURE

environmental stress

social cohesion collapse and conflict

loss of mitigation and adaptation capability

more environmental stress

EXTREME ASYMMETRY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN LEADING TO INSTABILITY-90% of all trade flows in the Euro-Mediterranean region is intre-EU, 9% between EU and its Mediterranean neighbourhoodand only 1% between the southern/eastern countries-signs are there: Arab Springs, Syria-more to come: delta salinisations, water scarcity, etc.

THE MATRIX IN MOTION

Scenario 2

If we integrate beyond apparent trade-off

The Nutrition Pyramid

WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU IS GOOD

FOR YOUR PLANET

PLANET EARTH’S EQUATIONenvironment = justice = development = peace

ENERGIES AND SYNERGIES: WHY COOPERATE FOR LAND RECOVERY

The perception of the environmental challenge is focused on replacing fossil fuels, an indeedessential line of intervention both in rich and

poorer areas

(food – water - energy nexus, access to off-gridsupply by renewables, etc.)

But…

The Value of Our Lands

- The costs of recovering one acre of degraded land are variable,ranging from 80U$ in semi-degraded fertile areas to 22.000U$for complex coastal biomes

- In most of the lands where the degradation-insecurity nexus isemerging, the cost is around 200 U$

- There, recovery of each acre turns it into a very effective“carbon well”

And an incredible investments multiplier…

The recovery of land ecosystems – especially if they are given to trained smallscale family farmers- leads to:

- create effective carbon absorption mechanisms,- local mitigation- Hydric balance protection- protect biodiversity,- restore productivity,- an agricoltural surplus that enables manufacturing activities,- local family and gender empowerment,- a stronger civil cohesion and lessened migratory impulse ,- lifestyles and dignity dimensions that delegitimate fanatisms- valorize traditional know how, modernize it, strenghtening local identity

o energy as a commodity emerges as a narrow, siloed, self desruictive choice by primary actors

o instead, energy as a human rights enabler, the «nexus approach», protects the sector while protecting overall balance and... Is more remunerating and sounder business

So... What energy for the Mediterranean?

“CLIMATE CHANGE OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MULTILATERALISM TO PROVE ITS VALUE.”

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, 13 JUNE 2019, TIME MAGAZINE

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