NEW BOOK PUBLICATION Climate Change in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Region

JUST PUBLISHED! Ready for Climate Change? An Assessment of Measures Adopted by 45 Mediterranean Coastal Cities to Face Climate Change, with Xira Ruiz-Campillo and Cristina García Fernández (UCM)

Access recall to the chapter abstract here 

There is a need for a better and more holistic understanding of how climate change affects countries in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East on the one hand, but also on the many problems it faces on the other, which prevent adaptation efforts. There is also a perceived need to showcase successful examples of how to duly address and manage the many social, economic and political problems posed by climate change in these regions, in order to replicate and even upscale the successful approaches used. It is against this background that the just published #book Climate Change in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Regions has been produced. Editors Walter Leal Filho and Evangelos Manolas invited us to contribute with: An Assessment of Measures Adopted by 45 Mediterranean Coastal Cities to Face Climate Change, a collaborative work with professors Xira Ruiz, Cristina García Fernández and myself.

In an all impressive editing work of 527 pages, Walter Leal Filho and Evangelos Manolas address Climate Change in the Mediterranean Basin, including Thoughts for the Future (pag. 521). The book contains works prepared by scholars, practitioners and members of governmental agencies, undertaking research and/or executing climate change projects, and working across the region. It serves the purpose of showcasing some of the works in respect of #applied research, #field #projects and best practice to foster climate change #adaptation across the region. The book also showcases shortcomings that should be addressed. 

This book is structured in two main parts:

1) Climate Change Models and Impacts

2) Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Initiatives

Let me showcase some incredible works included on it 

Just cherry picking some (do check the index!):

- The chapter: Energy Impacts on Climate Change: Issues, Challenges

and Solutions with Clean Conversion Technology, written by @UttaraDas, @ChampaNandi, Somudeep Bhattacharjee, and Sarbani Mandal.

- The chapter: Development of a Water Security Index Incorporating Future Challenges, by @DenizMarangoz and Irem Daloglu Cetinkaya

The chapter: An Approach to Adapting Urban Drainage Design to Climate Change: Case of Northern Morocco, via @MohammedMoujahid, Laila STOUR, and Ali Agoumi

- The work: Enhancing Urban Microclimates Towards Climate-Resilient Cities: The Potential of Courtyards, via @CarmenGalán, @CarlosRivera, Jesús Lizana, @JorgeRoa, @EduardoDiz, and @VictoriaLópez

- The chapter: Sustainable Land Management for Rural Adaptation in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Watersheds, by @ItxasoRuiz and María José Sanz

- The chapter --so relevant!, Climate Change Impacts on North Africa: Public Health Perspectives, by @RehabRayan,@MohamedKamal, @ChristosTsagkaris, and @LoyleCampbell.

Access recall to the abstract of the chapters in the book  here

GLOBAL DRASTIC CHANGES UNFOLDING IN ASIA AND THE WEST

President Xi Jinping of China paid a visit to North Korea with his wife Peng Liyuang in June 20, 2019. There he has been welcomed by... 250.000 people, China Daily on Friday June 21st states. In North Korea Xi said "China would like to offer as much help to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to address its legitimacy security and development concerns."

Ideas are in fact paramount to change -and development- in the history of humanity

And the focus on common ground as an idea for development shall not be understated in the sense that Xi sddresses. We shall expect efforts of the two countries focused on development. And if we witness what China has made in the Pearl River area, expectations might well be very high.

President Xi is also favoring dialogue with the USA as G20 talks in Tokio approach

Xi spoke by phone with President Donald Trump and agreed to meet in Tokio next week. The official view in China is that the US shall "create the necessary conditions and atmosphere for enhanced dialogue - according to Gao Feng, ministry spokeman- and the US sould also listen to its industries, call off its wrong practices' and solve problems through consultation and cooperation"

Call for chapters: Global Handbook of Communications and Sustainable Development

Following the call for papers for the proposed Global Handbook of  Communications and Sustainable Development, a big number of submissions has been received from every part of the world. The quality and diversity of the submissions were quite encouraging. Proposals were received from diverse places; from New Zealand to Egypt, Australia to Ethiopia, Spain to China, United States to Nigeria,  United Kingdom to Kyrgyzstan, Turkey to Bangladesh and much more.  The diversity of the topics submitted makes the project even more exciting. But we still have room to add more chapters.

There is an specific interested in submissions on the SDGs

One of the aims of the book is to cover how all the SDGs are communicated in various communication platforms. Multidisciplinary approaches to communications and sustainable development are highly encouraged. The extended deadline for the submission of abstracts  is now 15 December 2018. I look forward to receiving your proposals. Please
find the revised call for papers below: