North Aegean Region Joins Climate Resilience Project CARDIMED

Photo source: Unsplash/ European Commission.

The North Aegean Region has taken a significant step to boost its climate resilience with its recent decision to join the European program CARDIMED.

According to an announcement, the Region’s council recently approved participation in the ambitious initiative, which seeks to enhance climate resilience in the Mediterranean biogeographical region through nature-based solutions (NBS) and technological infrastructures.

During the council’s meeting, North Aegean Region Governor Konstantinos Moutzouris thanked all those that supported the region’s participation.

“The project will assist in protecting infrastructures and local communities from climate change,” he said.

The CARDIMED research project is a collaborative effort that focuses on not only natural and technological solutions but also systemic transformations. It aims to integrate and scale up existing initiatives from regions and communities in various countries, all sharing a common goal of addressing the challenges posed by climate change in the Mediterranean region.

Photo source: European Commission.

Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, CARDIMED brings together 51 partners with a total budget of approximately 21.5 million euros. Horizon Europe, the EU’s primary funding instrument for research and innovation, is dedicated to tackling climate change and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals while boosting the EU’s competitiveness and growth.

The North Aegean Region is one of 10 European areas and one of three Greek areas, including South Aegean and Central Greece, that are actively participating in the CARDIMED project. Together, these regions will showcase 47 different nature-based solutions through 83 interventions at 10 different sites across the Mediterranean, spanning multiple countries, including Greece (Oinofyta, Mykonos, Lesvos and Sifnos), Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Cyprus, and Spain.

These participating communities will come together to form the “CARDIMED Resilience Alliance,” with the aim of expanding the network. By the year 2030, this alliance plans to include 28 regions and 70 communities, generating 8,000 jobs in the physical systems sector and attracting over 450 million dollars in investments for climate resilience.

Photo source: Unsplash/ European Commission.

The CARDIMED project officially commenced with a “kick-off partner event” last month, hosted by the Laboratory of Sanitary Technology at the School of Civil Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens. Over 130 representatives from 51 organizations gathered in Athens for this inaugural event.

CARDIMED’s comprehensive approach involves the deployment of digital infrastructure to harmonize data collection and evaluation processes, provide open data to stakeholders, and integrate functions for climate resilience.

The project’s ambitious efforts are set to address socio-ecological challenges, valuation issues, and low investment rates in nature-based solutions. Through the demonstration of these actions in various regions and communities, the CARDIMED Resilience Alliance will drive the expansion of the network, create jobs, and secure substantial climate investments to fortify the Mediterranean region against the challenges of climate change.