The Challenge of Environmental Security in the Euro-Mediterranean Region : Strategic Implications, Crisis Management, and Technological Applications

This book explores the complex origins and impacts of climate change, examining both natural and human-driven factors in the Euro-Mediterranean region. It will assess how climate shifts increase the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, such as seismic, atmospheric, and volcanic events. These risks are analyzed within the unique geographic, economic, and social landscape of the region, focusing on the vulnerability of infrastructure, ecosystems, and populations. Case studies from Jordan and Italy will provide practical insights: Jordan faces water scarcity and desertification, while Italy, with its extensive coastline and active seismic zones, contends with overlapping climate and hazard risks. These examples highlight adaptive responses and offer valuable lessons applicable to similar areas. Focusing on NATO’s Southern Flank, the publication examines the security implications of climate change, including migration, resource conflicts, and heightened risks to military installations. It addresses how climate resilience and disaster preparedness are increasingly important to regional security. The book also delves into strategies for mitigating catastrophic events, featuring advanced multi-risk analysis techniques like satellite-based hazard mapping, probabilistic risk assessment, and scenario planning. Finally, it covers crisis management methods, including early warning systems, cross-border collaboration, and community-based risk reduction programs, aiming to strengthen regional resilience against natural threats. This work is designed as a resource for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers focused on enhancing stability and security in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

Maria Fabrizia Buongiorno is the Director of Technology Research at the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) and Coordinator of INGV Centre for Earth Observation from Space (COS). Graduated in Geology at University of Rome "La Sapienza" in 1988, she has more than 30 years of experience in the sector of EO missions and applications with particular focus on environment and natural hazards. She started her career in Telespazio company in the Earth Observation Division. In 1992 she moved to the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica (ING), where she support the development of a research area dedicated to remote sensing techniques. Since 2003 she is Director of Technological Research at Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and responsible of INGV Remote Sensing Activities from 2004. From 2020 (current) she is Coordinator of the new INGV Centre dedicated to Space Observations of Earth (COS) which includes EO and Space Weather application and services. From 2021 to 2024 she has been appointed by the Italian Space Agency, President of E-GEOS Company (a Telespazio/ASI company). 2018-2024 She was Administrative Responsible for a large infrastructural project funded by Ministry of Research (MUR) which renewed and enlarged the INGV field networks and in laboratories and activated more than 40 post doc fellowships. In the period 2017-2024 she has been a member of the National Operative Committee for the Civil Protection to represent INGV. She worked in close cooperation with aerospace industries to propose new EO mission concepts which may improve the understanding of Earth Processes and Climate Change. She is coinvestigator with Dr. Simon Hook of Jet Propulsion Laboratory and member of the ASI Advisory Board in the development of NASA-ASI SBG-TIR mission (Surface Biology and Geology, TIR element), and member of other Advisory Boards for European space missions with Optical payloads for Earth Observations (ESA-LSTM, ASI-PRISMA, DLR-EnMAP). Since 2013 She is co-chair with USGS of the Earth Science Working Group in the frame of the USA-ITALY bilateral agreement in Science and Technology and coordinates the activities in the MAECI-INGV MoU. She is author of a large number of papers and publications in the above-mentioned fields.

Enrico Casini is the Director of Communications of Med-Or Foundation. Graduated in International Relations at the University of Siena, he is an expert in communication, strategic and political analysis, institutional relations, and event organization. During his career he has gained a wide experience in the institutional field, both at the national and international level. He has been Advisor to the Minister of Defense, and he has collaborated, among others, with the Regional Council of Tuscany, the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. From 2020 to 2021, he oversaw NATO-EU geo-strategic relations at the Strategy and Market Intelligence Office of Leonardo S.p.A. Since July 2021, he has become Head of Med-Or Foundation Communications. In his professional career he also produced publications and articles on magazines, blogs and journals on international terrorism, security and US-Europe relations. He is co- editor of “Il futuro del terrorismo di matrice jihadista” (published by Ledizioni), “Vent’anni di Guerra al terrore” (published by START Insight), and “La guerra tiepida. Il conflitto ucraino e il futuro dei rapporti tra Russia e Occidente” (published by Luiss University Press).

Andrea Manciulli is the Director of Institutional Relations of Med-Or Foundation. A Modern History graduate from the University of Pisa, he studied at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris and is an expert in military history and international terrorism. He was a member of Tuscany’s regional council from 2000 to 2013, then went on to become a Member of the Italian Parliament (2013-2018) and served as Vice-President of the Parliamentary Commission “Foreign and Community Affairs” and President of the Italian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. While serving in this position, he was appointed as President of the Special Mediterranean and Middle East Group (GSM) of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. While at the NATO Assembly, he curated reports on jihadist terrorism (2015-2017). In 2015 he was the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ rapporteur for the Decree on “Urgent measures to counter terrorism” adopted by the Government on 18 February 2015 and converted into law on 17 April 2015. In January 2016, in this role, he also presented, together with Stefano Dambruoso, a bill on “Measures for the prevention of radicalization and jihadist extremism”. In 2016-2017 he was rapporteur of the Framework Law on International Missions. From 2018 to 2020, he was Executive at Fincantieri S.p.A. and President of the Fincantieri Foundation. From 2020 to 2021, he was Senior Vice President in the Strategy & Market Intelligence Office of Leonardo S.p.A. He is the President of the think tank Europa Atlantica and the author of several publications on jihadist terrorism, national security, and international politics.