Euro-Med sub-national governments in the fight against climate change:

INSTITUT DE LA MEDITERRANEE (IM) and its partners, FEMISE and the association ENERGIES2050, are glad to announce the publication of the report “Euro-Med sub-national governments in the fight against climate change: Framework for action, example of Région SUD Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and opportunities for cooperation at the Mediterranean level “.

This report is articulated around three chapters and offers a vision of the initiatives and dynamics undertaken by Région SUD (France) in the fight against climate change. It also enters within the global framework of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
The first chapter deals with the “Action framework of Europe’s Mediterranean territories in the face of climate change”. It underlines that subnational governments face many challenges for implementing an ambitious and integrated climate action. Issues of finance access, capacity to design strategies adapted to territorial concerns, building on reliable local data, monitoring and reporting (MRV) and the need for support and coordination from higher levels of governance are crucial.

The second chapter deals with “The territorial response to climate issues in the Mediterranean: the example of Région SUD”. The report notes that the action of local authorities, in France in general and in the Région SUD in particular, benefits from an incentive and coherent legal framework supported by regional information systems. In accordance with policies adopted at the national level, the local authorities of Région SUD engaged in the implementation of integrated climate strategies in the form of PCET (Climate Territorial Energy Plans – Plans Climat Energie Territoriaux) and then PCAET (Climate Air Energy Territorial Plans – Plan Climat Air Energie Territoire). Beyond this process, there is a high number of initiatives aimed in particular at better involving all actors in climate action. However, the transparency on the results of these actions remains relatively weak.
The third chapter covers the theme of “Cooperations, territories and climate at the scale of the Mediterranean basin and beyond” and offers some reflections of action towards the future. A first reflection consists on placing the climate / territory issue at the center of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation strategy. Région SUD could bring valuable feedbacks to this extent. In addition, a platform at the service of territories in this area offering the possibility to capitalize, to exchange, to train, to allow a dialogue with the world of regional statistics and to offer technical assistance could be supported at the regional level, in particular through emerging initiatives such as the Mediterranean Climate House. The growing involvement of the private sector could also generate relevant initiatives. Proposals for action on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation could include the creation of an “ERASMUS of social and environmental entrepreneurship” and a Mediterranean Initiative for Social and Environmental Finance, aligning business creation and capital flows with the objectives of reducing local social and environmental externalities.

This report takes its roots in IM’s willingness to mobilize its network and partners over a shared commitment to climate issues. It also enters within the frame of the consistent work on climate and territorial issues done for years by ENERGIES 2050, particularly in the context of the development and implementation of low-carbon territorial strategies. Considering the follow up given to the international event “Mediterranean of the Future”, organized by Région SUD (21 November 2017, in Marseille), IM, FEMISE and ENERGIES 2050 believe in the unifying capacity of the territory on these issues. This report also builds on the momentum generated by the workshop “Climate change in a Mediterranean in transition” (May 15, 2018, Marseille, co-organized with the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône), which allowed to illustrate territorial solutions to climate challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The effective support of the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône reinforced a real multi-stakeholder movement that has also strengthened this report. Exchanges with the City of Marseille, particularly on the issues of sustainable development and engineering of local governance, were also valuable.