MdM INCUBATOR- "Integrated scenarios for island economies in the context of climate change", by Alejandro Marcos

Title: "Integrated scenarios for island economies in the context of climate change"

Speaker: Alejandro Marcos, ICTA-UAB researcher

Date: Tuesday, December 12th 2017

Time: 16 h

Venue: room Z/023



 

Abstract

Small islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Chapter 29 (WGII) of the 5th IPCC assessment is devoted to small islands finding that climate change is already having an impact, in the long term posing an existential threat to many islands. Whereas the literature has mostly focused on island states in the Pacific, less attention has gone to small islands in the Mediterranean. Already arid, many are exposed to the effects of droughts and to global changes, including economic crisis and migration. The last decades most islands have undergone a dramatic transformation from mostly rural to urbanized tourist economies, implicated in global flows of capital and people. This radically restructured and increased their carbon and material metabolism, producing new types of vulnerabilities. On the other hand, small islands are also repositories of cultural traits concerning self-sufficient, low-carbon practices and well-adapted land-uses that may hold insights for the future. 

 

The study analyzes the socio-ecologic metabolism of two islands, Menorca (Spain) and Ikaria (Greece), applying MuSIASEM, and researching on how scientific information can be better used in participatory/deliberative processes for decision-making to achieve a more self-sufficient/low carbon future. 

 

Biography

Alejandro Marcos Valls holds an M. Sc. in Sustainable Development from Uppsala University (UU) and two bachelors, one in Environmental Sciences and another in Media and Communication, both from the University of Barcelona (UB). 

He is currently a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). Before his Ph.D. started, Alejandro has been coordinating the courses “Sustainable Design” and “Global Challenges and Sustainable Futures” at CEMUS (UU) during two years and he has been collaborating with different organizations in projects related to gender and sustainability issues as a facilitator and project manager.