The Mediterranean Basin, cradle of an ancient cultural heritage, culinary traditions, indigenous knowledge of agricultural practices and biodiversity, is often referred to as a “climate change hotspot”, as the regional projections of global climate change are exacerbated with higher rates than globally. It also has highly vulnerable specific critical resources (water, agriculture, etc.) and socio-economic elements (adaptive capacity, human population growth, etc.).
Population and economic growth, agricultural intensification, urbanisation, high pollution levels in air, land, seawater, and freshwater, tourism and increasing resource demand and inequality, all increase the vulnerability of local communities, the impacts on human health and the level of insecurity for water, energy, food and ecosystems (WEFE).
Resource overexploitation is contributing to their rapid depletion and consequent environmental degradation, putting the capacity of Mediterranean countries to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda at risk. The unsustainability of WEFE elements is not only characterised by insecurity but also by large disparities across countries (North-South divide mainly) and across territories (rural and urban areas), and by the multiple interlinkages (nexus), including synergies and trade-offs, between the four WEFE nexus components.