The Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (Imedea) In recent months, it celebrated its first think tank unscientificin this case dedicated to Adapting to climate change in the Balearic Islands: environmental and social challenges. Imedea plans a series of meetings of this kind in the coming years in the Balearic Islands to link scientific knowledge with society and identify possible solutions to emerging environmental problems.
Therefore, Imedea has now published a summary of that first think tankwhich appeared in conferences by Damià Gomisprofessor at UIB, and Jose Carlos Cerro, head of the Government’s Climate and Atmospheric Service. Different social agents participated in the meeting and reflected on the effects of climate change, considering medium-term scenarios (10-30 years) in different sectors of activity. In this way, the following thematic areas with their challenges and problems were identified.
Fishing
Loss of posidonia, change in catch species, effect of quotas and fishing calendar, lack of generational change, rising prices, proliferation of fish farms, influence of toxic phytoplankton and law of Europe that does not fit in the context of the Mediterranean.
Education
Lack of specific training on climate change in the educational community, lack of environmental awareness about the availability and quality of water, and difficulties in continuing the educational activity in extreme weather conditions.
Public administration
It is necessary to design and adopt appropriate measures for adaptation and mitigation of climate change in current and future scenarios, and absence of economic sectors in the dialogue between science and Administration.
tourism
Loss of marine system quality, sea level rise and coastal effects (circular image), desertification process and climate change mitigation costs in a Mediterranean basin that appears to be one of the most affected places on the planet.
Sea transportation
Reduction in the transportation of passengers and goods due to severe weather events.
Conservation
Improve knowledge transfer, environmental planning and management, and optimize communication with the Administration and the scientific community to include this knowledge in conservation policies.
Strength
The identification of this sector as strategic, on which others depend, such as tourism and maritime transport, primarily, and concern for the ecological impact of new facilities and infrastructure for the production of renewable energy , which proposes zoning based on the natural values ​​of the territory. .
