Global Footprint Network Mediterranean Report 2015

New Study: Mediterranean countries fall short of achieving
region’s vision of sustainable development
Food and cities offer opportunities to manage resources more sustainably.

BARCELONA, SPAIN—No country in the Mediterranean region meets two key minimum conditions for global sustainable development: living within the planet’s natural resource budget and satisfactory well-being for its residents, according to a new brief to be launched at the SwitchMed Connect conference October 29 by international think tank Global Footprint Network.

Global Footprint Network monitors the first condition by tracking humanity’s demand for renewable resources and ecological services (Ecological Footprint) against the planet’s ability to provide for this demand (biocapacity). The United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI) tracks human well-being nation by nation.

Global Footprint Network’s brief—titled How can Mediterranean societies thrive in an era of decreasing resources?—shows that the overall Mediterranean region is using approximately 2.5 times more renewable resources than its ecosystems can provide. Meanwhile, the majority of Mediterranean countries have improved the quality of life for their residents in recent years, as measured by HDI.

The brief, produced with the support of the MAVA Foundation and UNESCO Venice Office, highlights increasingly protein-intensive diets among the contributors to the region’s growing Ecological Footprint. Based on a Footprint analysis of 12 cities, the brief also identifies housing and transportation in cities as major opportunities to build a more sustainable Mediterranean region.

“On the heels of the United Nations approving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals last month, it is encouraging to see that human development for all Mediterranean countries has been climbing,” said Alessandro Galli, Mediterranean region director of Global Footprint Network. “However, truly fulfilling the vision of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development—ensuring a high quality of life without degrading the environment—requires taking full account of physical limits at all levels of decision-making.”

“The good news is that by targeting food, transportation and housing, the region has numerous opportunities to manage its resources more sustainably and become more economically resilient,” Galli added.

Galli will co-host a SwitchMed Connect session on sustainable food at 10:30 a.m. CET on October 29. 

The Mediterranean brief is available online in English, French and Arabic.