Cyprus runs the risk of desertification by the end of this century as it feels the brunt of climate change and drought, an expert warned. Studies project a rise in summer temperatures on the east Mediterranean island of between two and four degrees this century, compared to the 1960 to 1990 reference periods, Professor Manfred Lange, a geophysicist, said in an interview. “I think that there is a very definite potential for dramatically increasing desertification,” said Lange, director of the Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre at the non-profit Cyprus Institute. By the end of this century, Cyprus can expect an extra two months of days with temperatures exceeding 35 degrees centigrade (95 fahrenheit) on top of the present summer months of June, July and August, Lange said. There is also likely to be less rainfall and increased evaporation because of higher temperatures.

“Cyprus will in fact become more like Abu Dhabi or other states that we know because there is just not enough water,” he said. Cyprus now uses energy-intensive desalination to meet some of its water requirements, while its population of around one million live with rationing and a permanent hosepipe ban. Lange said enforcement must be stringent.”People want water but if you want to avert desertification, we need to let nature have its share,” he said, adding that while climate change could be slowed, it could not be reversed.

The Cyprus Institute is examining the use of concentrated solar power to co-generate electricity and potable water through desalination, technology Lange said could be used elsewhere. “Cyprus could become somewhat of a showcase for this kind of technology and could develop an industry that would indeed then offer to market these devices to neighbouring countries,” he said.

PRIMO Europe is founded to enhance the governance of public risk, in all its aspects, in Europe. In the light of this European cooperation, a delegation of PRIMO Europe visited Luc Van den Brande, chairman of the Committee of the Regions in Europe, on Friday the 20th of March. After the acquaintance and a brief presentation about PRIMO Europe’s vision, aims and goals, we discussed our approach of risk management as a true part of public management and public governance.

Key subjects we discussed: the role of politics versus management, and the principle of subsidiarity and the strengthening of this by a systematic and holistic approach. Could this be the key to a better use and implementation of this principle? Yes it can!

Risks are insufficiently identified nowadays in public governance. The more stakeholders there are, the more complex governmental question are to be saved. Is it the mutual gain approach of Harvard University or a common sense but healthy, sound and clear approach in the context of European thinking wich can bridge the gap. Risk management is a way of preparing policy matters. This new way of approaching and managing public risks is dawning. It is about detecting risks in an early state, especially between the governmental layers. Finally PRIMO Europe is focussed on sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices between CEO’s but also public leaders, mayors, alderman, managers, senior advisors, policymakers etcetera within the public domain in general and within the local and regional communities in particular. This means PRIMO Europe is founded for all positions within public governance. The core goals of PRIMO Europe are focussed on the holistic heart of risk management within the public sector and on public risk at his own. It is in the heart of the triangle “public policy, public management and society and its natural environment”.

Luc Van den Brande showed interest on behalf of the Committee of the Regions in public governance, public management and risk management. The Committee experiences too little interaction between actors in the field. That is why the Committee thinks actors situated at different territorial levels should communicate with each other on lots of issues. This is called “Multi Level Governance” . The multi-level governance theory crosses the traditionally separate domains of domestic and international politics and highlights the increasingly fading distinction between these domains in the context of European integration. Luc Van den Brande likes to add a dimension: civil services. Mister Van den Brande thinks it is important to detect risks in civil services in local and regional areas and to share knowledge, experiences and best practices! PRIMO Europe brings forward a new dimension and the Committee of the Region senses interfaces for synergy and cooperation! So a new partnership is dawning. We invite them to be cobranded on our coming Risk Survey.

Risk management could be the forgotten link and key to good governance? Within a few weeks we will elaborate further possibilities for cooperation.

We think that the Risk Observatory of the
European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is systematically focussing on those risks. More and more people face psychosocial risks at work.

By the end of the fifties, early sixties two comletely different ‘sciences’ met. Architecture and psychology discovered each others worlds and fundaments, to find news answers on social cohesion, human perception and city architecture. The new science was social psychology. We think, like Le Corbusier already build in into his appraoch, that the human factor should be in the middle of our architecture and processes. So also in risk management and governance. Psychology meets management.

This Risk Observatory, with the clear tagline ‘Anticipating change’, we recommend to our members.

With Didier Raciné we welcome a very experienced and respected professor in risk management, not only in France but throughout Europe. He has an excellent network within the European Union. With his new initiative to establish risk education throughout the Mediterranean he is innovative and groundbreaking.

PRIMO Europe expect to intensify the cooperation with the involved institutes and will support the education programs by bringing in knowledge from the perspective of management and government. In cooperation with Didier Raciné, PRIMO Europe will enhance the network of universities throughout Europe involved in risk management.