A just transition agenda in the Mediterranean: priorities and alliances towards COP31
The event A just transition agenda in the Mediterranean: priorities and alliances towards COP31 will take place on Wednesday 22 April at the Teatro Garibaldi in Palermo, with the aim of highlighting the region’s key priorities and strengthening alliances ahead of COP31.
The meeting takes place on the final day of the Mediterranean Earth Day Climate Festival, promoted by Fondazione Studio Rizoma in strategic partnership with ECCO, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Està, Economia e Sostenibilità and the University of Palermo – Centre for Sustainability and Ecological Transition of Ateneo, under the patronage of the Municipality of Palermo and the Union for the Mediterranean.
Today, the Mediterranean is a strategic space for climate action: a frontier exposed to the impacts of climate change, but also a crossroads of energy and geopolitical interests. In this context, strengthening cooperation and a shared vision is essential to drive a just and effective transition.
In 2026, a year marked by COP31 under the Turkish presidency and hosted in Antalya (November), the Mediterranean emerges as a key region for redefining its role within the global climate context. A COP held within the region represents an opportunity to position the Mediterranean as a frontier for climate action, capable of connecting local, regional and global priorities within a complex geopolitical context.
Against this backdrop, the two panels will explore the global dimension of the climate transition, placing it in dialogue with local and regional dynamics, with the aim of identifying concrete avenues for cooperation and strengthening the Mediterranean’s contribution to multilateral processes.
9:00-9:30
Opening remarks
Marc Berthold, Director, Paris Office, Heinrich Böll Foundation
Rei Tang, Programme Officer, Climate Change, Stanley Center for Peace and Security
Hajar Khamlichi, Director, North Africa, Pooled Fund for International Energy
9:30-11:00
From priorities to implementation: regional tools and levers towards COP31
Language: english
Prof. Federico Butera, Emeritus Professor, Politecnico di Milano
Grammenos Mastrojeni, Former Deputy Secretary General, Union for the Mediterranean (online)
Bengisu Ozenc, Director, SEFiA – Sustainable Economics and Finance Association
Iskander Erzini Vernoit, Director, IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development
Moderated by: Hamza Tber, COP22 Senior Advisor
11.30 AM – 1.00 PM
Local evidence for systemic change: the case of Sicily and financing the social dimension of the energy transition
Language: italian
This panel is based on the ECCO policy study Integrating the Economic, Social and Climate Transition in Sicily, which highlights that: Sicily received 50% less funding for household energy efficiency compared to the national average. Energy savings per euro invested are 55% lower than in Northern Italy.
Only 10% of households accessed incentives, while low-income
groups remain largely excluded. Nevertheless, 70% of citizens support climate policies prioritizing vulnerable households. These dynamics are not unique to Sicily but reflect structural challenges in how the transition is financed across much of Southern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Speakers:
Setting the scene
Laura Marinelli, Researcher Economics and Statistics in Governance, ECCO Think tank
Discussion
Luca Guidi, Young European Greens
Anna Lisa Boni, Council Member on European Funds at the Municipality of Bologna (online)
Daniele Ronsivalle, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Università degli Studi di Palermo
Francesco Muzzicato, President of the Etna Renewable Energy Community and Presidio del Simento
Anita Astuto, Head of Climate and Energy Division at Legambiente Sicily
Moderated by Bianca Minotti Researcher and Consultant, Està – Economia e Sostenibilità
13:00-13:20 – Conclusion address
Language: italian
Patrizia Pozzo, Head of Institutional relations and Earth Day Med Coordinator, Studio Rizoma
