To carry out its mission, ITEM has chosen to go beyond the stage of diagnostics and proposing corrective measures to focus on the central issues of Environmental Transition, linked to changes in societal practices and customs , and which are systematically addressed through the following three areas applied to Mediterranean environments.
Area 1: Analysis of socio-environmental changes for a transition strategy
Area 2: Resource management for environmental transition
Area 3: Resilience of companies to risks within a context of transition
These three priorities help differentiate the Aix-Marseille site around the key words of the #Mediterranean and #EnvironmentalTransition. In addition, they take into account several major issues of the “Global Roadmap for Sustainable Development” (COP21) , namely climate, biodiversity, resources and natural and industrial risks.
The choice of the Mediterranean basin as a key area for study reinforces AMU’s ambitious international policy, anchored in the Mediterranean area. This region is undergoing very marked socio-environmental transitions and is home to many challenges (such as a high population density, extreme climatic events, a biodiversity hotspot and a sea that is highly exposed to multiple climatic conditions). In addition, Mediterranean societies have learned to manage their natural resources in specific climatic and ecological contexts, showing environmental practices that could serve as examples (water management, fire risk, etc.). The institute is therefore committed to developing its work in this area, but is also interested in other regions, particularly if this work makes it possible to extrapolate, capitalise on and enhance the results obtained in the Mediterranean basin.