Project description
De-stressing the Mediterranean by reducing pollution
The Mediterranean Sea holds immense environmental significance, impacting numerous countries, vast populations, as well as the fauna, flora, temperatures, and climates of the region. Its preservation and the mitigation of pollution within it, particularly in identified hotspots, are imperative elements of our battle against climate change. This urgency has propelled a heightened interest in devising solutions to curtail heavy metal, pesticide, PFAs, and perpetual chemical pollution in both freshwater and wastewater systems before they reach the sea. With this in mind, the EU-funded RHE-MEDiation project will support policymakers in enhancing governance practices. Furthermore, the project seeks to establish a pivotal centre for managing and monitoring endeavours related to pollution.
Objective
"The RHE-MEDiation lighthouse aims at establishing a responsive hub deploying long-term governance centred on the mission to destress the Mediterranean Sea from chemical pollution, including peak concentrations in known HOT SPOTs. In particular, the most impacting components that currently affect Mediterranean resources and threaten its survival in the short term if no action is taken, like heavy metals, pesticides and PFAS & ""forever chemicals"", should be stopped and removed from the fresh and waste waters before they enter the sea.
The RHE-MEDiation hub governance at the base of this transformation will a) deploy chemical pollution remediation technologies based on micro-algae solutions to enhance relevant TRL when integrated in existing water / wastewater treatment systems practises and assessed in their benefits with the involvement of the local communities; b) set-up a combined fixed and mobile cooperative monitoring system based on smart drifters to provide surface and depth water detection and measurement of pollutants; c) demonstrate through 3 piloting sites efficiency of scaled prototype solutions and quantify capacity in the longer term for the full scale configuration; d) assess and validate the responsiveness of the local community to manage this transformation; e) replicate the evaluation of the expected benefits by RHE-MEDiation approach potential over additional 5 “associated regions” demo cases, selected to maximise the validated technology basket exploitation; f) quantify the achieved technology and governance efficiency transfer from the lighthouse to the citizens, stakeholders, and policy makers, as main recipients of the RHE-MEDiation action stream for bridging benefits to next generations; g) test the “RHE-MEDiation Local Communities approach as primary driver for a critical mass mobilisation to free the Mediterranean Sea from chemical pollution, thus increasing the overall human health as a consequence of healthier seafood and products."
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
16129 Genova
Italy