Faced with elevation of sea level, loss of biodiversity and accelerated environmental degradation, Tunisia is sounding the alarm. On the eve of the United Nations Conference on the Ocean in Nice, the Minister of the Environment Habib Abid calls for the creation of a common front between the Mediterranean countries to protect the region from the consequences of climate change.
While the effects of climate change are becoming more and more visible in the Mediterranean, Tunisia is sounding the alarm. The Minister of the Environment, Habib Abid, announced that Tunisia will actively participate in the United Nations Conference on the Ocean, which will be held in Nice from June 9 to 13, 2025, with a clear objective: to build a Mediterranean alliance to make a common front against climatic threats.
Imminent losses on the Tunisian Islands
According to the latest data, some of the 60 Tunisian islands are likely to lose up to 20% of their surface in the coming years because of the elevation of sea level. A study conducted with the World Bank also ranks Tunisia as the Mediterranean country most exposed to this phenomenon.
In addition, there are 400 kilometers of threatened coasts, a decline in decline and a galloping desertification. “We have lost 30 to 40 years of effort in the reconstruction of our natural heritage,” deplored Habib Abid at the national conference held on June 2 in Tunis, entitled “Tunisia in the face of the triple planetary crisis”.
Towards more offensive climate diplomacy
For the Minister, this regional alliance is not intended only to exchange expertise and strengthen technical cooperation, but also to access international funding for the implementation of concrete projects, in particular for the protection of the coast, the prevention of floods and the fight against erosion.
Habib Abid also stressed the importance of mobilizing Tunisian diplomacy, believing that the climate crisis is no longer a peripheral subject, but a geostrategic priority. He called on neighboring countries to unite in the face of a common threat, in a spirit of environmental solidarity.
The Nice conference could mark a turning point. Tunisia will carry the voice of the most vulnerable countries in the Mediterranean, by calling for reinforced regional coordination, but also to an increased recognition of the climate injustice that countries which, as it, have contributed little to global emissions but undergo the consequences.
