The Five Mediterranean Climate Regions
Shared Characteristics of the Five Mediterranean Climate Regions
Mediterranean ecosystems are limited to five relatively small areas that are widely dispersed around the planet: California south to northern Baja California, central Chile, the cape region of South Africa, southwestern Australia, and the region bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean climate, moderated by cold ocean currents offshore, is characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. While these ecosystems cover just under three percent of the earth's land area, they contain about 20 percent of its plant biodiversity, including over 26, 000 endemic species.
Conference Overview
More than fifty percent of the world's population now lives in an urban setting, and while countries across the Mediterranean-climate regions may have differing developmental priorities, the urban centers face similar futures. Climate change threatens to exacerbate problems of water scarcity, energy costs, and vector-borne diseases. At the same time, increasing populations and developing economies require adequate protection against the hazards of floods, droughts and sea level rise – hazards that are expected to become increasingly variable and severe because of the higher stakes and changing climate. Balancing the need to grow with the need to protect will be tricky.
But these urban hubs have become driving forces behind scientific research, technological innovation, and policy change. They are leading the way in developing innovative approaches for adapting to climate change in fields as varied as water supply, alternative energy development, green infrastructure design, and human health risk management.
At The Mediterranean City: A Conference on Climate Change Adaptation, we have the opportunity to coordinate our efforts across political borders and disciplines to bring more resources and knowledge to building solutions that benefit us all. Through an international network of experts, we can effectively manage inevitable climate change impacts through interventions that build and sustain integrated cities – cities that are developed holistically as livable, connected, sustainable spaces and provide for the social, economic and environmental health of Mediterranean regions.
The conference will address the integrated issues common to Mediterranean cities with workgroups gathered around the following six interrelated topics, which will then reconvene across disciplines and around the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and ecological health. The result is a systems approach to solutions that recognizes overlaps and gaps across disparate fields.
Water: Resilient Water Management Strategies for a Changing Climate
Energy: Transitioning to an Energy Efficient and Low Carbon Future
Biodiversity and Open Space: Building an Ecological City
Built Environment: Designing Healthier Communities
Public Health: Preparing People for Their Future
Governance: Rethinking Boundaries
But these urban hubs have become driving forces behind scientific research, technological innovation, and policy change. They are leading the way in developing innovative approaches for adapting to climate change in fields as varied as water supply, alternative energy development, green infrastructure design, and human health risk management.
At The Mediterranean City: A Conference on Climate Change Adaptation, we have the opportunity to coordinate our efforts across political borders and disciplines to bring more resources and knowledge to building solutions that benefit us all. Through an international network of experts, we can effectively manage inevitable climate change impacts through interventions that build and sustain integrated cities – cities that are developed holistically as livable, connected, sustainable spaces and provide for the social, economic and environmental health of Mediterranean regions.
The conference will address the integrated issues common to Mediterranean cities with workgroups gathered around the following six interrelated topics, which will then reconvene across disciplines and around the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and ecological health. The result is a systems approach to solutions that recognizes overlaps and gaps across disparate fields.
Water: Resilient Water Management Strategies for a Changing Climate
Energy: Transitioning to an Energy Efficient and Low Carbon Future
Biodiversity and Open Space: Building an Ecological City
Built Environment: Designing Healthier Communities
Public Health: Preparing People for Their Future
Governance: Rethinking Boundaries