An international conference entitled "Climate Crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East" will take place in Cyprus from 26 to 28 September, with the participation of the Prince of Jordan Hassan bin Talal and internationally renowned scientists and policy makers, co-organised by the Cyprus Institute and the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts in Larnaca.

In a statement by the organisers it is noted that the Conference (emmeclimate2024.cyi.ac.cy) is taking place in the framework of the initiative undertaken by the Republic of Cyprus to address the evolving climate crisis in the region.

It is added that during the Conference measurements and model predictions on climate change and its impact, particularly in the areas of energy, water, food and agriculture, oceans, health and cultural heritage will be presented and discussed, as well as ways to mitigate the impact, particularly on the economy. Strategies for adaptation, especially at the regional level, analyses on economic, legal and ethical aspects, as well as artistic expressions of concern about the climate crisis will be also presented.

As stated, the conference will be addressed by the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, the President of the Parliament Annita Demetriou, the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Maria Panayiotou and the Prince of Jordan Hassan bin Talal.

Also participating in the conference will be, among others, international scientists and policy makers such as Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the United Nations Sustainable Development Network, the Lebanese Minister of Environment Dr. Nasser Yassin, the Minister of Environment of Lebanon, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal Affairs of Egypt, Wael Aboulmagd, the former Minister of Environment of Israel, Tamar Zandberg, the former Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, Professor Hans Bruyninckx, the Director General of Antiquities and Museums of Syria, Professor Maamoun Abdulkarim, and Director of EcoPeace of Israel Gidon Bromberg.

It is noted that workshops will be held on the margins of the conference on 25 September, focusing on energy, the warming of the Mediterranean, the impact of climate change on both human health and cultural heritage, as well as on environmental change and migration.

According to the organisers, the climate crisis is the biggest challenge of the 21st century, with its impact expected to be even more pronounced in Cyprus and the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region, areas that have been identified as highly sensitive.

For this reason, the planning and implementation of immediate actions to address the crisis, with the contribution and cooperation of states, is imperative, the statement concludes.