In 2021, SCP/RAC published 30 Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) factsheets with updated data on progress made towards sustainable development by Mediterranean countries to follow up on the implementation of the UNEP/MAP Regional Action Plan on SCP in the Mediterranean. Indicators covered different areas, from organic agriculture to water, energy and resource efficiency.

Now, thanks to a collaboration with Plan Bleu, the Observatory for the environment and development in the Mediterranean, the set of SCP indicators is available to the public in MapX, the cartographic component of the World Environment Situation Room (WESR), which is the future UNEP digital platform for online data sharing. This open source and interoperable tool is based on the latest technologies in sharing environmental information.

Previously, SCP indicators and their infographics used to be disseminated in a static way using PDF files. This didn’t allow for easy comparaison; the maps and graphs were not navigable or query-able.

This new interactive format offers several functionalities with many advantages:
– Increased accessibility: MapX allows the free downloading and re-use of spatial data by third parties, thus contributing to the dissemination of environmental information among all stakeholders (institutional, non-governmental, academic…).
– Querying of specific data: By clicking on a given country or zooming in on a map area, quantitative or qualitative data will appear in a new window, allowing a more precise reading of the information.
– Cross-referencing of information: MapX facilitates the integration of environmental data with other information provided by different databases. Thus, viewers can overlap data from different maps to obtain new analyses of information. For example, it is possible to combine a view of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean from the SCP indicators with the global layer of marine currents from the NAO.

In conclusion, this dynamic format constitutes a real progress and will facilitate collaboration between policymakers, environmental institutions, civil society and academia. It is expected to enhance information sharing and mobilize the collective expertise of all stakeholders that are monitoring environmental and development issues in the Mediterranean.

Tips for using MapX:

The data corresponding to the SCP indicators is accessible through this link to the WESR: Mediterranean dashboard, by clicking on the category SCP/RAC. Different maps are available under each thematic area (Land use, Water, Energy, etc.). By clicking on the “i” icon (Display metadata), you can download the source data and the original SCP factsheet related to that map.