BETA TC will be at COP29 to address the impact of climate change in the Mediterranean region

The BETA Technology Centre of the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) will have a prominent participation in the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), which will take place from 11 to 22 November in Baku (Republic of Azerbaijan). The director of CT BETA, Sergio Ponsá, will represent the centre in three sessions of the Mediterranean Pavilion, on 14 and 15 November, as part of the programme of activities of the conference. In this global meeting, Ponsá will defend the importance of promoting research and innovation as essential tools to face the environmental challenges in the Mediterranean region, one of the most affected by global climate change.

The presence of CT BETA in the Mediterranean Pavilion at COP29 is significant, as this technology centre has accumulated extensive experience in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation programmes. So much so that the Union for the Mediterranean has recognised the value of some of its projects and has invited CT BETA to be part of the working group on climate change. In addition, Catalonia has several entities with a Mediterranean perspective, such as Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA) and MedWaves, which also participate in the organisation of the sessions in which BETA TC will be present.

According to Ponsá, this Euro-Mediterranean commitment is key, since ‘many of the challenges are shared between the north and south of the Mediterranean, so a global perspective is necessary, a vision that until recently was not a priority for the European Union, but is now a firm commitment’. BETA TC works on projects that contribute to the development of new regulations and policies. ‘We try to ensure that the initiatives coming from Brussels take more account of the Mediterranean reality,’ explains Ponsá.

The participation of BETA TC

The first of the sessions in which the director of the BETA TC will participate, on 14 November, will be coordinated by the Interreg Next Med programme. This session is expected to open a debate on the benefits, added value and real impact in the Mediterranean region of the green transition projects promoted by this programme.

On 15 November, also under the organisation of the Interreg Next Med programme, but this time also through MedWaves, Ponsá will participate in a session dedicated to presenting successful cases of innovation in the promotion of the circular economy in countries on the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. On the same day 15, in a session jointly organised between the Union for the Mediterranean and EMEA, Ponsá will have the opportunity to talk about the experience of some projects coordinated from the BETA TC that have served to help disseminate and implement innovative forms of agroforestry systems that can help make Mediterranean agricultural landscapes more sustainable and resilient.

An unmissable event

The director of the BETA TC was already present at COP27, which took place in November 2022 in Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt). On that occasion, he also participated in three sessions of the programme of events of the Mediterranean Pavilion, in which he spoke about agri-food systems in the framework of sustainable development, the circular economy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and green and blue innovations.

The main objective of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) is to address the challenge of the climate crisis and limiting global warming to 1.5ºC in the 21st century. The event will bring together government, business and civil society leaders from 197 countries. In this edition, countries will be able to present their national climate action plans, updated from the Paris Agreement (2015), which will have to be submitted by the beginning of 2025.