2023 Mediterranean Quality Status Report

United Nations 10 months ago

Published every 6 years,  the second edition of the MED QSR is the upshot of a collective endeavor involving the Contracting Parties, MAP partners, in particular the scientific community, the Secretariat and the MAP Components. The MED QSR series builds on a robust conceptual foundation and nationally sourced, quality-assured data submitted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention or other reliable sources, to provide an evidence-based intelligible assessment of Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Mediterranean Sea and coast, based on a GES /non-GES approach, as defined in the framework of the ecosystem approach and its Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme IMAP. The 2023 report has been officially approved by UNEP and now is one of the official UNEP reports for 2024. The preparation of the 2023 MED QSR has seen coordinated efforts on data acquisition covering the 9 Ecological Objectives and 23 Common Indicators of IMAP. The report blends national data with patterns observed at the regional level. By distilling new knowledge, the report also contributes to other relevant assessment exercises at global, regional and national levels, and the implementation of respective policies and regulatory framework.  The 2023 MED QSR  is divided into three main chapters, "The Mediterranean Sea" "Assessments of the Quality Status of the Mediterranean Sea" and "Main Actions and Measures to Support the UNEP/MAP Work for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea and Coast from 2017 Med QSR."The report is supported by its Executive Summary (approved by COP23 in Portoroz, Slovenia, in December 2023) and the Summary for Policy Makers which was recently developed and approved under the leadership of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention All 3 reports are hosted by a dedicated website developed by INFO/RAC, which is publicly available, to ensure that it can be easily accessible and used by policymakers, experts, the public, young people and scientists and indeed, everyone harboring an interest in the marine and coastal environment in the Mediterranean context. Web site> 2023 MED QSRVideo> 2023 MED QSR  Watch the full video of 23th January 2025
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 21 hours ago



The Planning and Infrastructure Act with Royal Assent marks a structural shift in UK sustainable construction. The confirmation of the Nature Restoration Fund embeds environmental sustainability in construction as a financial and design parameter. Developers are being pressed to integrate eco-design for buildings that secure measurable biodiversity gains through sustainable building design and avoid reliance on late-stage offsets. The new framework compels teams to embed life cycle thinking in construction and net zero Whole Life Carbon goals at concept stage, linking green infrastructure and green building materials with demonstrable life cycle cost benefits.

The National Wealth Fund’s £800m guarantee for SSEN Transmission’s northern Scotland upgrade is significant for decarbonising the built environment. Enhanced transmission capacity strengthens the credibility of net zero carbon buildings and all-electric, low carbon design strategies. It enables contractors to adopt resource efficiency in construction through on-site flexibility solutions such as storage and hybrid power. Grid readiness becomes a core marker of low carbon building performance, reinforcing the importance of lifecycle assessment and embodied carbon data in project delivery.

Thames Water’s long-term onshore wind agreement exemplifies carbon footprint reduction at infrastructure scale. This move accelerates a shift towards circular economy in construction, low embodied carbon materials, and the broader application of carbon neutral construction practices across supply chains. Clients expect partners to deliver sustainable building practices that quantify embodied carbon in materials and achieve verifiable net zero carbon outcomes, supported by Whole Life Carbon Assessment and BREEAM or BREEAM v7 certification.

Government rhetoric defining nature as critical national infrastructure is reshaping procurement. Tenders increasingly demand whole life carbon analysis, carbon footprint of construction metrics, and renewable building materials that support end-of-life reuse in construction. The emphasis is on circular construction strategies, sustainable material specification, and building lifecycle performance aligned with whole life carbon baselines. Industry leaders are adjusting to a future where sustainable construction is no longer aspirational but a regulated expectation, reinforcing the commercial case for sustainable design and the Circular Economy.

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