EMME

Eastern Mediterranean & Middle East (EMME)

EMME is an acronym in the English language for a grouping of 18 nations situated in and around the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.^[1] The diverse region reflects cultural, economic, and environmental similarities.

Members

EMME has members from three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are:^[1]

Bahrain
Cyprus
Egypt
Greece
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Yemen

Climate change "hot spot"

The academic journal EOS reported that EMME, "faces rapid climate change" and that "Observational and modeling studies identify the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East as a prominent climate change hotspot associated with weather extremes that have major impacts on society."

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe^[1] and the CORDIS EU Research of the European Commission,^[2] the EMME Climate Change Initiative,^[3] launched by the president of Cyprus, aims to bring these countries together to develop a concerted regional response to address the climate crisis, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

This initiative states that "450 million inhabitants of the eighteen countries comprising the EMME region are at risk of a 5°C increase in mean annual temperature by the end of the century, under a “business as usual” scenario. This will lead to a catastrophe of unprecedented scale, inducing social collapse and mass migration, unless immediate action is taken on mitigation and adaptation through strong regional cooperation."^[4]