EUROPEAN AND NORTH-AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES COMMITTED IN STAFF EXCHANGING TO ASSESS THE UNEVEN IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MIGRATION FLOWS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES

MEDCHANGe, is a European 7FP project, belonged to Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES), and focused on the analysis of the relationships between global networks (Internet), spatial mobility of individuals, migrant gender issues, climate change migrants, tourism and heritage valorization flows, with geographical localities in terms of local development and marginalization/segregation. Researchers from universities of Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Israel, and Algeria will shed lights on changing relationships at the spatial scales of some Mediterranean countries due to the dialectics of global flows, borders crossing and local structural changes. Under a interdisciplinary and multiannual joint programme, scholars are working in synergy and complementary capabilities through joint field research, workshops and seminars by investigating both the spatial and behavioral origins and development of our topics and their contemporary changing dynamics in selected territorial cases.

Among other Work Packages (WP), this dissertation introduces the methodology applied to develop WP6 by the researchers coming from different universities. The method establishes a hierarchical analysis starting from the root cause of the problem, passing through consequent intermediate stages, until determine the impact on the population obliged to move.

The first level aims to reveal the existence of climate change by analysing variation and trend of hydrology cycle and meteorology , as well as mutual correlation. Techniques for downscaling of glogal models permits the geolocalization of the issue. In the next stage, some indicators can be detected in health hazards, natural disasters, tourism habits, resource availability. The last level is the study of vulnerability of population and its forced exodus to avoid the climate change consequences, especially the uneven impact on the minorities.

The expected results will not be certainly definitive solutions to this serious problem. Nevertheless, the study guarantees an harmonized and consensual approach, due to the involvement of universities from the Mediterranean environment. Participants, well-informed of the problem in situ, elaborate the opinion and thoughts by constrast between different perspectives on interpretation of sociological fieldwork and statistical results. Staff exchange project supports reflection within a team during an international collaboration, encouraging participants to reflect on their experience and to share those reflections with their colleagues. The result is a mutual cultural learning in the high education environment to shape a future agreement that could mitigate in some way the south-north migration problem.

As a conclusion Medchange means an opportunity to develop an intercultural communication in the context of a research project on a pressing and current problem in Southern Europe