THE
MEDITERRANEAN
BLUE PLAN 2011
THE CASE FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN
There is need for floating architecture en masse in other parts of the world. The most obvious example is perhaps the Maldives, a sure future victim of environmental wipeout, so much so that the country is looking to relocate its population entirely. Then there are numerous other locations on the globe where a lot of new, cheap property for development would be a welcome respite from soaring real estate prices – Hong Kong is probably the most obvious recipient for such an enterprise. Elsewhere, such as in Scandinavia, waterborne architecture is understood as a vehicle for better living, and, on a smaller scale for now, waterfront locations are sought after for their wellness as much as for affordability and elemental versatility. Then there is the novelty of such developments as a driving economic factor – the man-made floating islets on the Han River, Seoul.
I have chosen the Mediterranean basin as an example, because it brings together all of these aspects, that make up the Necessity plus Incentives duo. It has the capacity to respond and fix a massive pending environmental and social catastrophe - such as the Maldives, its flooding and subsequent relocation-, and the Blue Plan does a great job at highlighting all the stresses, and setting the framework for required responses. There is a real need for more land for development, and the concrete figures of the Blue Plan that show the population explosion of the near futures prove this.
Most auspiciously, there is the fortuitous situation of having the developed European nations, their technical know-how and maturity, in such close geographical proximity to the populous developing nations of the Greater Middle East. There is also the fair Mediterranean weather to allow for gentle architecture.
There is need for floating architecture en masse in other parts of the world. The most obvious example is perhaps the Maldives, a sure future victim of environmental wipeout, so much so that the country is looking to relocate its population entirely. Then there are numerous other locations on the globe where a lot of new, cheap property for development would be a welcome respite from soaring real estate prices – Hong Kong is probably the most obvious recipient for such an enterprise. Elsewhere, such as in Scandinavia, waterborne architecture is understood as a vehicle for better living, and, on a smaller scale for now, waterfront locations are sought after for their wellness as much as for affordability and elemental versatility. Then there is the novelty of such developments as a driving economic factor – the man-made floating islets on the Han River, Seoul.
I have chosen the Mediterranean basin as an example, because it brings together all of these aspects, that make up the Necessity plus Incentives duo. It has the capacity to respond and fix a massive pending environmental and social catastrophe - such as the Maldives, its flooding and subsequent relocation-, and the Blue Plan does a great job at highlighting all the stresses, and setting the framework for required responses. There is a real need for more land for development, and the concrete figures of the Blue Plan that show the population explosion of the near futures prove this.
Most auspiciously, there is the fortuitous situation of having the developed European nations, their technical know-how and maturity, in such close geographical proximity to the populous developing nations of the Greater Middle East. There is also the fair Mediterranean weather to allow for gentle architecture.
WHAT IS THE MEDITERRANEAN BLUE PLAN?
For over 30 years and within a context of growing international action for the environment, the 21 states bordering on the Mediterranean and the European Community have together been developing an original mechanism for environmental regional cooperation within the framework of the United Nations Environment Program’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP).
The Blue Plan is one of the stakeholders involved in this cooperation. One of the main tasks with which it is entrusted is to produce information and knowledge in order to alert decision-takers and other stakeholders to environmental risks and sustainable development issues in the Mediterranean, and to shape future scenarios to guide decision-taking processes.
All of the Blue Plan’s work is structured around its four main strategic objectives, which are:
- to identify, collect and process on an on-going basis environmental, economic and social information of use to the stakeholders and decision-makers
- to evaluate the interaction between the environment and economic and social development in order to measure what progress is being made towards sustainable development
- to conduct analyses and prospective studies to help shape visions for the future and back-up decision-taking
- to broadcast and circulate products and outcomes in the manner best-suited to the target public.
For over 30 years and within a context of growing international action for the environment, the 21 states bordering on the Mediterranean and the European Community have together been developing an original mechanism for environmental regional cooperation within the framework of the United Nations Environment Program’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP).
The Blue Plan is one of the stakeholders involved in this cooperation. One of the main tasks with which it is entrusted is to produce information and knowledge in order to alert decision-takers and other stakeholders to environmental risks and sustainable development issues in the Mediterranean, and to shape future scenarios to guide decision-taking processes.
All of the Blue Plan’s work is structured around its four main strategic objectives, which are:
- to identify, collect and process on an on-going basis environmental, economic and social information of use to the stakeholders and decision-makers
- to evaluate the interaction between the environment and economic and social development in order to measure what progress is being made towards sustainable development
- to conduct analyses and prospective studies to help shape visions for the future and back-up decision-taking
- to broadcast and circulate products and outcomes in the manner best-suited to the target public.
WHY 2030?
The year 2030 is an apparent point of no return concerning the eventual collapse of the ecosystems and human settlements in the Mediterranean basin - according to the Mediterranean Blue Plan
The year 2030 is an apparent point of no return concerning the eventual collapse of the ecosystems and human settlements in the Mediterranean basin - according to the Mediterranean Blue Plan
THE COASTAL POPULATION EXPLOSION by Don Hinrichsen, United Nations consultant and author
“An overwhelming bulk of humanity is concentrated along or near coasts on just 10% of the earth’s land surface. As of 1998, over half the population of the planet lives and works in a coastal strip just 200 kilometers wide (120 miles), while a full two thirds, 4 billion, are found within 400 kilometers of a coast. One of the most celebrated and threatened coastlines in the world is the Mediterranean. Here, north and south meet, with all the tensions such a confluence cultivates. According to demographic projections worked out by the Mediterranean Blue Plan, the socioeconomic part of the Mediterranean Action Plan that links the protection of the environment with various levels of development, the Mediterranean Basin’s resident population could go as high as 555 million by 2025. Also, according to Blue Plan projections, the urban population of coastal Mediterranean administrative regions could reach 176 million — 30 million more people than the entire coastal population in 1990. Furthermore, depending on how tourism is developed in the future, the Mediterranean could be hosting up to 350 million seasonal tourists every year by 2025. At the same time, the number of the automobiles in the region is expected to triple, causing serious air pollution problems in many urban areas. Michel Batisse, president and chief architect of the Blue Plan and former assistant director-general for science at UNESCO: “While northern populations with declining fertility rates will become progressively older, the southern and eastern regions will be dominated by young people,” points out Batisse. “The numbers arriving on the labor market will largely exceed those leaving it, with a maximum gap around 2020, creating considerable unemployment and probably spawning waves of migrants heading to Europe in search of work.” Batisse argues that these trends are likely to generate serious conflicts over dwindling resources in an increasingly polluted environment. This will be especially true for water availability, as well as mounting land use conflicts, traffic congestion, destruction of wetlands, soil erosion, and continued pollution of coastal waters. “In all the scenarios we developed for the southern and eastern rim countries, their development problems are aggravated by rapid, pell-mell urbanization,” notes Batisse. “The greatest concentration of people will continue to be in the narrow, mountain lined coastal strips characteristic of the region.” What these demographic trends portend for the urban landscape and resource management are disturbing, to say the least. Most of the developing world lacks the capacity to manage current coastal population growth in any equitable fashion. Now is the time to develop and introduce management plans that protect vital coastal ecosystems, while permitting economic growth and ensuring a better quality of life for all coastal dwellers. Continued denial of the problems will only make solutions harder to achieve.”
FROM THE BBC, 25th of February, 2011:
Slowly, gradually, Venice is sinking. In the last century, the marshy land that the city sits on has lowered by about 11 inches.
But the far greater threat is the rate at which the sea level is rising. In recent years, Venice's acqua alta, or high water, has resulted in an average of 100 floods a year. The increasing sea level is largely a consequence of climate change.
Since the Great Flood of 1966, which displaced 5,000 people from their homes and destroyed $6 billion worth of treasured artwork, Italy has been working on a plan to fight back the waters of the Adriatic Sea. That plan has become Italy's biggest public works project ever.
The MOSE Project, or Experimental Electromechanical Module Project, is scheduled to begin operating next year. MOSE, named after Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, is a system of floodgates seeking to protect the Venetian Lagoon from becoming inundated with water from the sea. When inactive, the gates will lay flat on the seafloor; when water levels rise, they will be pumped full of air and rise above the surface to block sea water.
So far, MOSE has cost Italy more than $7 billion. Above all, fears are that MOSE is a short-term solution to what could be a never-ending problem.
Slowly, gradually, Venice is sinking. In the last century, the marshy land that the city sits on has lowered by about 11 inches.
But the far greater threat is the rate at which the sea level is rising. In recent years, Venice's acqua alta, or high water, has resulted in an average of 100 floods a year. The increasing sea level is largely a consequence of climate change.
Since the Great Flood of 1966, which displaced 5,000 people from their homes and destroyed $6 billion worth of treasured artwork, Italy has been working on a plan to fight back the waters of the Adriatic Sea. That plan has become Italy's biggest public works project ever.
The MOSE Project, or Experimental Electromechanical Module Project, is scheduled to begin operating next year. MOSE, named after Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, is a system of floodgates seeking to protect the Venetian Lagoon from becoming inundated with water from the sea. When inactive, the gates will lay flat on the seafloor; when water levels rise, they will be pumped full of air and rise above the surface to block sea water.
So far, MOSE has cost Italy more than $7 billion. Above all, fears are that MOSE is a short-term solution to what could be a never-ending problem.
