EMWIS Flash 161 March - April 2022

2- The Interreg MED Green Growth Community has in the past six years promoted sustainable development and the circular economy in the Euro-Mediterranean region. In its final event, the Green Growth project aims to gather a wide range of stakeholders interested in the circular economy in Brussels to showcase its activities in boosting circular economy locally by engaging the entire local ecosystem in the transition towards climate neutrality and supporting the uptake of sustainable practices. Taking place the day after the EU Green Week conference in Brussels, the event presents a perfect opportunity for participants to combine both events and make the most out of their trip to Brussels. The event will gather stakeholders such as public authorities, researchers and representatives of organisations interested in the circular economy, and will present an excellent opportunity to network and exchange on ideas around the upcoming Interreg Euro-MED Programme calls for thematic projects. An interactive session will further allow participants to engage in discussions around the role of the circular economy in the transition towards climate neutrality. The deadline for registrations is 25 May 2022 COB. Further information on EMWIS website

3- The Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance  called on all countries to reduce the amount of antimicrobial waste entering the environment. This includes researching and implementing measures to safely dispose of antimicrobial waste from food, human health and animal health systems, and manufacturing facilities. The Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance includes heads of state, government ministers, and leaders from private sector and civil society. The Global Leaders Group’s statement calls for all countries to improve measures  for the management and disposal of antimicrobial-containing waste and runoff from manufacturing sites, farms, hospitals and other sources. Antimicrobials given to humans, animals and plants are entering the environment and water sources (including drinking water sources) via wastewater, waste, run-off and sewage and through this spreading drug-resistant organisms and antimicrobial resistance. This could fuel a rise in the emergence and spread of ‘superbugs’ that are resistant to several types of antimicrobial drugs (additional information here). It could also harm organisms in the environment. Further information on EMWIS website

4- Researchers at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona have found that global warming is accelerating the water cycle, which could have significant consequences on the global climate system, according to an article published recently in the journal Scientific Reports. This acceleration of the water cycle is caused by an increase in the evaporation of water from the seas and oceans resulting from the rise in temperature. As a result, more water is circulating in the atmosphere in its vapor form, 90 percent of which will eventually precipitate back into the sea, while the remaining 10 percent will precipitate over the continent. To carry out the study, researchers analyzed ocean surface salinity data—which is measured by satellites. Unlike subsurface salinity data—obtained with in situ instruments—the satellite data allowed them to detect this acceleration of the water cycle and, for the first time, the effect of stratification over very large regions in the ocean. According to them, this is due to the ability of satellites to measure data continuously, regardless of environmental conditions and the accessibility of different areas of the ocean. Further information on EMWIS website

5- Water pollution refers to the contamination of water resources such as oceans, rivers, groundwater, or lakes with toxic substances that make the water unsuitable for consumption, irrigation; industrial uses and the normal functioning of natural ecosystems. While the world has made significant progress towards ensuring safe drinking water for the largest part of the global population (71% or 5.3 billion people in 2017), around 80% of global wastewater is still returned back into the environment without proper treatment.  Water is polluted by multiple human-induced and natural factors. Those originating from human activity have by far the largest negative impact on the environment and the top five causes of water pollution are: 1- Sewage and industrial wastewaters which are considered to be the primary polluting factors that contaminate the environment with various pathogens, organic matter, and chemical pollutants /2- Agriculture which leads to the discharge of agrochemicals, drug residues, organic matter, and sediments into the soil and water bodies/ 3- Daily household activities and waste products lead to water pollution. Chemical and organic substances, such as soaps or pharmaceutical elements, once discharged into the sewage system are then difficult to remove. Moreover, household garbage disposed outside of designated dumping sites ends up in natural ecosystems or even in the oceans./ 4- Mining practices harm the environment and water ecosystems in particular. While the mining community and regulatory bodies have been working towards improving mining practices in recent years, the risks of pollution are still high. Drilling disturbs groundwater systems while mine waste sediments and tailings pollute the water/ 5- Accidental, natural, or intentional oil leaks and spills cause significant damage to water sources and ecosystems. As oil is less dense than water, it spreads quickly over the surface significantly slowing response efforts. Further information on EMWIS website 

6- Opened the public consultation on the Interreg ‘NEXT MED’ transnational cooperation programme document. Next Med is the follow-up cross-border cooperation (CBC) between the EU Med regions and Neighborhood South countries. Following the experience of the ENPI (2007-2013) and ENI (2014-2020) programmes, NEXT MED will continue fostering Euro-Mediterranean cooperation for the period 2021-2027 under the framework of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy and its specific ‘Interreg’ instrument which supports European Territorial Cooperation across regions and countries. The new programme aims to contribute to smart, sustainable, fair development for all across the Mediterranean basin by supporting balanced, long-lasting, far-reaching cooperation and multilevel governance. The consultation procedure is launched by the Region of Sardinia (Italy), Managing Authority of the programme, and is open until May 31, 2022. The consultation is opened in English and French from ENI-CBC Med website

7- After four years, the European Union’s Med-Gold project has been completed, and the data is now publicly available. Small, medium and large farmers and olive growers throughout the Mediterranean region now have access to a vast volume of data on climate, weather, diseases, expected productivity and farming strategies from multiple authoritative sources. This information, available on a seasonal basis and as long-term projections, may also allow entire production chains to invest in improvements and policymakers to target interventions better. The Med-Gold dashboard, which allows farmers to participate in the Med-Gold community and use Med-Gold climate services, is a technological and strategic answer to the challenges posed by climate change in the region. Further information on EMWIS website

8- The Commission is starting negotiations with Ukraine to offer the country the possibility to join the LIFE programme for climate and environment. The LIFE programme aims notably to contribute to the shift towards a sustainable economy, to protect the environment, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The next LIFE calls will be open in May. Ukrainian applicants will already be able to present proposals. In order for a project to be eligible, Ukraine will need to ratify the association agreement before the signature of the relevant grants. Further information on EMWIS website

9- The Near East and North Africa region must take a holistic approach to food security, energy and water issues as it prepares for the COP-27 and COP-28 climate summits to be held in Egypt this year and the United Arab  Emirates next year, said QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Speaking at a Ministers’ Meeting side event of the 36th FAO Regional Conference for the Near East, Qu said agrifood systems are heavily affected by the climate crisis, and the Near East and North Africa region is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. FAO has warned that unless swift action is taken, crop yields in the region could be reduced by 20 percent by 2050, with the greatest impacts on rain-fed farming systems, while livestock will be threatened by reduced water resources, land degradation and reduced availability of feed. Qu said the region has an “historic opportunity for transformation” in how food is produced, distributed and consumed to make it more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable. But he stressed the need for adaptability, innovation and responsible investment, including private sector participation. He added that improving water productivity and building a water-saving society as well as developing renewable energy are also vital elements in helping rural people improve their livelihoods and adapt to the climate crisis. FAO will continue to support countries across the region to attract climate finance and implement climate-resilient innovation across agrifood systems, especially through its Hand in Hand initiative and Investment Centre, he said. Qu underlined FAO’s role in promoting increased intergovernmental dialogue through the NERC platform; assisting countries with the design of their action plans and enabling policy development on innovation and science. Qu said countries had a “golden opportunity to think together, design together and work together” towards the goal of achieving better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind. Further information on EMWIS website

10- The Edible Cities Network (EdiCitNet) Project held its latest Annual Meeting online at the end of March. The 2-day meeting was very interactive, with partners using both Zoom and Wonder to meet and move around from group to group to discuss different topics. After hearing updates from the EdiCitNet partner cities, insights from the Living Labs, the Masterplan process and discussing problems, solutions and future challenges, there were topic-based discussions in the afternoon. The main topics up for discussion on the first day were: Sustainability of City Teams, Circular systems within public green spaces (Natural Resources, water, biodiversity), Education – educating across generations, within schools, and kindergartens, Access to land for urban food projects. Partners are now planning "Visit the Lab" events and city exchanges, where project partners will travel and meet their colleagues from around the world, to learn from their experiences, best practices and challenges with edible nature-based solutions. The big overarching theme of this meeting was the Edible Cities Network itself and the question of how can we build a network that continues after the project ends and makes the world a better place? The EdiCitNet partners reflected on this question many times during these two days and will continue the discussion. The highlight of the second day was a talk and workshop on gender. Dr Jess Halliday from RUAF gave the EdiCitNet partners an insight into the topic of food and gender, after which we discussed problems and goals with the gender and intersectionality lens in different groups, according to fields of work.  Further information on EdiCitNet website

11- The Desertification Research Center of the University of Sassari (NRD-UNISS) is organizing  on 27-30 June 2022 a Summer  School on Environmental Conflict Mediation, within the framework of “Innovative Governance” activities of the Sustain-COAST project. Acqúa School aims to: explore and promote environmental mediation conflict technique, inform participants about the effectiveness and validity of mediation in environmental disputes, train participants on the specificity of the environmental conflict and on the particular modalities that distinguish this type of conciliation path from those usually used in the civil and commercial field. Acqúa School will be focused on water-related conflicts, with case studies from the Mediterranean Region. Further information on Sustain-COAST website

12- The 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM) will be held in Tarbes, France on the 22nd to the 25th of May 2022. ISCRAM 2022 promotes research and development as well as the exchange of knowledge and deployment of information systems for crisis management, including the social, technical, and practical aspects of all information and communication systems used in all phases of management of different emergencies, disasters and crises. SAFERS (H2020 Structured Approaches for Forest Fire Emergencies in Resilient Societies) project is co-organising with other relevant EU-funded projects (beAWARE, IN-PREP, CURSOR, aqua3S, INGENIOUS, NIGHTINGALE, FASTER, SHELTER, FIRELOGUE, and DRYADS) a workshop on "Intelligent Crisis Management Technologies (ICMT): Big Data Analytics and AI for Disaster Risk Reduction" on Sunday 22nd May. The workshop aims to provide a forum to advance the understanding of the current and prospective opportunities and risks of AI for disaster management through discussing the current status of AI technologies, their potential applications, as well as the ethical, legal, and social implications posed by the adoption of these technologies. Further information on the event is found on SAFERS website

13- HYDROUSA (circular economy in the water sector) has launched an open call for the first Summer School in Tinos, Greece, from the 18th to the 21st of June 2022 at Tinos Ecolodge which targets a wide audience of water allies. HYDROUSA Summer School is a 4-day format that intends to build capacity and showcase alternatives to switch from linear to circular water solutions. The main goal is to spread environmental consciousness, discover different nature-based solutions and explore sustainable practices for water management and water treatment, along with a group of experts, innovators and technology leaders. The team of SEMIDE, who is leading the exploitation activities and several replication studies in the Mediterranean region, will be part of the experts and give a presentation during this summer school. A first draft of the programme as well as the registration form are found on HYDROUSA website.

14- Three PRIMA Projects (SUPROMED, MEDWATERICE and PRECIMED) together with the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (CIGR) are organising an interregional Conference on Sustainable production in water-scarce agroecosystems (SUPWAS) from 05 to 07 September 2022 in Albacete, Spain. The Conference aims to be a forum for meeting and reflection between farmers, technicians and researchers, around demonstrations and transfers of research results to the productive sector under the scenario of decreasing water availability and increasing energy costs. These projects are contributing to the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of water and energy use in agroecosystems located in arid and semi-arid areas, helping cope with climate change. Simultaneous translation will be available to achieve greater participation in the dissemination and transfer of research results. The most important results of general interest of the three projects financed by the PRIMA Foundation (SUPROMED, PRECIMED  and MEDWATERICE ), as well as the updated FAO-56 manual, will be presented by different invited speakers. In addition, in oral or poster format, classic-format congress papers will be presented to complement the previous ones according to their subject matter.Further information about the conference are available in SUPROMED website

15- The training course “Accelerating the transition to circular cities with nature-based solutions for water treatment” links the framework and knowledge generated in the COST Action Circular Cities (CA17133) in nature-based solutions (NBS), urban circularity challenges, opportunities and barriers for circular economy with the development of platforms and tools within the project MULTISOURCE. The course will be held in the INRAE premises in Villeurbanne (close to Lyon, France) 29 June-1st July 2022. It will provide a holistic view on the usage of NBS to address circularity and circular cities. More than discussing concepts and state-of-the-art, the course will also expand on the different key dimensions for the implementation of NBS for urban water management. The course will touch upon technical issues from planning (geographical and hydraulic), through design (NBS technology selection) to implementation (Enhanced Natural Treatment Solutions (ENTS)); as well as viability due to economic aspects and regulatory issues dealing with water quality and ecotoxicology. Further information and registration link can be found on COST Action Circular City website.

16- In early 2022, two “sister” Programmes – the current EU4Environment programme “Green Economy” and a new EU4Environment programme on Water Management and Environmental data – joined forces under the EU4Environment umbrella to support cleaner environment, greener economy and people’s well-being in the Eastern Partner (EaP) countries. The new Water and Data programme will contribute to sustainable water resources management and policy development, sound environmental statistics and open data. In April, a series of workshops on water accounts (using the UN-DS approach SEEA-W) was organised in Armenia, Azerbaijan Georgia and Moldova. In May, online workshops are planned with Ukrainian institutions.  The discussions focused on developing and using the water accounts for better understanding of how the behaviour of the society, and its economic activities, are affecting water resources over time. Follow the latest developments under “EU4Environment: Water management and Environmental Data” through their programme’s Facebook Page.

17- The European Commission’s “Drought in northern Italy - March 2022” report offers an assessment of the evolution and impact of the 4-month long drought in the region, based on data from the JRC Global Drought Observatory (GDO) of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS). The precipitation deficit and mild weather have caused lower than average soil moisture for most of northern Italy, already before the plants start the real growth season, meaning the problem is likely to be exacerbated once plants really start to extract water. Therefore, even if winter crops in northern Italy still appear normal, the water stress reduces the yield potential, and rain is urgently needed. Not only to avoid further reducing the yield potential but also to favour fertiliser application and allow for good spring-crops sowing conditions.  The researchers warn that water availability for irrigation will be lower than usual. Higher water competition among different sectors and within the agricultural one is likely to occur if the current deficit will not be reduced by abundant rainfall. The low level of the Po river creates further problems and concerns in its delta as it favours salt seawater infiltration into the fertile low lying agricultural areas. This phenomenon may further exacerbate agricultural losses.  Further information on EMWIS website

18- High in la Alpujarra, on the slopes of the majestic Sierra Nevada in Andalucía, the silence is broken only by the sound of a stream trickling through the snow. Except it is not a stream but an acequia, part of a network of thousands of kilometres of irrigation channels created by Muslim peasant farmers more than a thousand years ago. The channel begins at an altitude of 1,800 metres and, fed by the melting snow, for centuries supplied water to the village of Cáñar and beyond until it fell into disuse in the 1980s through the gradual depopulation of the area. Now, it is flowing again thanks to a project implemented by the laboratory of biocultural archaeology at the University of Granada and backed by local and European funding. With the help of volunteers, the MemoLab project is restoring the region’s extraordinary hydrological network at a time when the climate crisis is exposing Spain to prolonged periods of drought and intensive farming is putting extreme pressure on water supplies. Further information on EMWIS website 

19- In Morocco, a 7.8 km pipeline will soon carry water from the Mediouna reservoir in the northern Casablanca-Settat province to the Bouskoura reservoir further South. Société Nouvelle Travaux Maroc (SNTM) will carry out the work, which is part of the second phase of the project to transfer water from the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam, 20 km from the Moroccan capital Rabat. In addition to exploiting the surplus water available at the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam, the second phase of the project will extend the capacity of a pumping station in the city of Casablanca from 2.5 m3 of water per second to 4 m3 per second. The launch of this component of the drinking water project comes just one month after the commissioning of its first phase, which consisted of the construction of a connection pipe between the north of Casablanca and the Mediouna reservoir over 7.2 km. Further information on EMWIS website  

20- Morocco is experiencing its worst drought in nearly four decades. The disaster has led authorities to fear a severe shortage of drinking water this year. According to the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, the drought is expected to gradually intensify across the Kingdom of Morocco until 2050 as a result of a drop in rainfall (-11%) and an increase in temperature of + 1.3°C. To finance its fight against this worrying drought, the country requested and obtained a loan from the World Bank. The Bretton Woods institution is allocating 163 million euros. These funds will support resilient and sustainable agriculture projects throughout the country in the face of climate change and the scarcity of water resources. In concrete terms, the aim is to improve the quality of irrigation services and facilitate farmers’ access to technical advice in an area that contributes 21% of Morocco’s gross domestic product (GDP). Almost 39% of the country’s employment depends on it, according to official figures. Further information on EMWIS website

21- Drought-monitoring technology that has been demonstrated in water and agricultural ministries in Jordan, Lebanon, and Morocco will now be implemented in Tunisia. The satellite-based enhanced composite drought index (eCDI) supports effective drought management by enabling authorities to identify, early on, the presence and evolution of drought. The technology was developed by IWMI and partners as part of the USAID-funded MENAdrought project. The team is now supporting the Government of Tunisia to implement the eCDI, along with seasonal rainfall forecasting technology, as part of a new initiative focused on strengthening the resilience of North African countries to the Water-Climate Change-Migration Nexus, with funding from the Center for Mediterranean Integration and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Drought is an ever-present danger in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Although droughts are cyclical natural hazards, their severity and ability to cause extensive loss and damage are increasing due to climate change. According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, there were 338 disasters caused by drought between 2000–2019 globally, compared to 263 between 1980–1999. A semi-arid country, Tunisia has already experienced a decrease in rainfall of 3% over the past 30 years, during which time the average temperature has risen by 0.37°C per decade. With continued climate shifts forecast to reduce crop yields, having the capacity to identify droughts early on could help to underpin livelihoods and food security. Further information on EMWIS website