UN, World Bank to spearhead Mediterranean anti-pollution project

ATHENS, April 21 – The United Nations’ environment arm and the World Bank will work on a programme worth over $250 million to reduce pollution in the Mediterranean, the UN agency said Monday. The five-year project will focus on boosting reforms and investment in various countries that border the Mediterranean to safeguard biodiversity and stop habitat degradation, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said.
The countries eligible for funding include Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, while the Palestinian Authority will also participate, the Athens-based organization said.
Marine biologists note that rising temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea due to pollution-related causes have led to the migration of a number of species from warmer waters. (Tirana Times Staff)