2023 Mediterranean Quality Status Report

United Nations 1 year 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 4 hours ago



The Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s global standard on land‑use emissions and carbon removals redefines how the construction sector measures and reports embodied carbon and whole life carbon. It requires verifiable data on biogenic carbon within timber and other renewable building materials, tightening claims associated with net zero whole life carbon and reducing the margin for optimistic offsets. Environmental product declarations (EPDs) will need recalibration, ensuring consistency with lifecycle assessment and life cycle thinking in construction. This transparency is expected to influence lender due diligence, whole life carbon assessment practices and the environmental sustainability of supply chains, reinforcing the shift toward low embodied carbon materials and robust end‑of‑life reuse in construction.

The UK Green Building Council’s nature‑positive framework embeds environmental sustainability in construction by aligning developers, planners and investors around measurable biodiversity outcomes. It promotes sustainable building design integrated with low carbon design and eco‑design for buildings from concept to operation, linking green infrastructure with life cycle cost evaluation. These professional standards advance sustainable construction and circular economy principles by connecting ecological gain with long‑term asset performance and building lifecycle performance metrics.

Corporate power purchase agreements are now shaping sustainable building practices and energy‑efficient buildings strategy. Concentrated demand from large technology companies increases pressure on supply, driving developers toward local renewable generation, storage and circular construction strategies. Energy procurement is becoming intrinsic to sustainable design and decarbonising the built environment, influencing valuation and operational resilience across sustainable urban development.

The new landscape demands credible data, integrated carbon modelling and responsible energy strategy. The focus on embodied carbon in materials, green building products and net zero carbon buildings signals a structural shift from superficial sustainability to auditable, circular economy in construction principles.

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