Two scientists from the Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM), Dr. Nathalie Hilmi and Dr. Duygu Sevilgen, have joined fellow scientists in Portugal for the IPCC Working Group II Lead Author Meeting.
Dr. Nathalie Hilmi (Environmental Economics) and Dr. Duygu Sevilgen (Marine Biology) attended the Third Lead Author Meeting of Working Group II (LAM3 WGII) sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Faro, Portugal hosted by the University of Algarve from 26th January to 1st February.
WGII of the IPCC assesses the impacts of climate change, from a worldwide to a regional view of ecosystems and biodiversity, and of humans and their diverse societies, cultures and settlements.
Nathalie Hilmi contributes as a lead author to Chapter 18 which addresses ‘Climate resilient development pathways’ and to the regional cross chapter four ‘Mediterranean Region’. Duygu Sevilgen contributes to the latter as a Chapter Scientist.
The Mediterranean region is, alongside other outstanding regions like Polar regions or Tropical Forests, specifically addressed. This is due to its outstanding role as a semi-enclosed sea, that is highly vulnerable to climate change and considered a climate change hot spot. Together with the two scientists from the CSM, colleagues from Spain, Greece, Italy, Egypt, France and Germany work on the Mediterranean cross chapter. Chapter 18 is the closing chapter of the WGII AR6 report and thus a synthesis of key adaptation and mitigation solutions.
Overall, 260 scientists from about 60 countries came together in Faro to advance this assessment report that is due to be published in October 2021.
Here is my last post from Santa Cruz, the amazing place I called home for the last week! This place is out of this world and deserves some publicity, so here it comes:
About a year ago, when I received a confirmation letter that I was selected to be part of the eXXpedition voyage from Galapagos to Easter Island, I realised – after the initial bursts of excitement – that such trip will be prepared well in advance. My friends know my organisational skills and the joy I get from sorting everything out, and this responsibility was always for everyone’s satisfaction. Here I had the chance for the trip of a lifetime, so planning my stay in the Galapagos was very well thought out and researched.
In a place like this, I wanted to be as close to nature as possible, and in the most humble way possible intrude in the sacred space belonging to iguanas, turtles, birds and all the creepy-crawlers. I was incredibly fortunate to find the Galapagos Safari Camp (GSC) which seemed to live up to my criteria. After quite a bit of communication back-and-forth, not only arranging accommodation but also planning the finest details of diving, island exploration and reaching other islands. Everyone was helpful in trying to find the best solution. I was enchanted from afar, but nothing quite prepared me for the amazing reality awaiting me here in Santa Cruz.
The camp is a love testimony for Galapagos by owners Stephanie and Michael Mesdag, who created a unique place of harmony between human and nature. The lodgings are beautifully crafted tents, where nothing is out of place and everything is there to provide comfort and peace. The attention to detail is incredible; you are invited to take this wonderful experience in with all your senses.
The staff know how to be there for you when you need the smallest thing, and at the same time to let you just ‘be’ and enjoy without intrusion. I shared the camp with a nice couple, a family with three children and another single traveler. We all had different expectations and programs, all while having the same level of preparation in curating our experiences.
The food was another wonderful surprise here – young and talented chefs creating beautiful and delicious dishes! I arrived here a bit sick from Quito, battling a bad cold. Without me saying anything, a delicious chicken soup was brought at the next meal. I learned that the chefs are preparing a cook book with their special dishes, so I look forward to be able to purchase it soon. Or, if anyone reading this is set to visit the Galapagos Safari Camp soon, please bring me a copy! I hope I gave you enough reasons why you should choose it for your next holiday.
I know I will look back with so much joy and gratitude to these days when I felt like a modern and posh Robinson Crusoe.
Stay tuned for my adventures in Isabela Island, following a flamingo colony!
For the 14th year, the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Tourist Convention Authority are putting on the Monaco-Japan Artistic Meeting coming this month.
The Auditorium Rainier III will be the setting for the upcoming exhibition featuring nearly 200 works by both local Monegasque and Japanese artists. From the 21st to the 23rd of February, the public are welcome to slip into a world of the exotic east and learn about Japanese traditional crafts and customs.
There will be workshops for Japanophiles of all ages including a tea ceremony called the Way of Tea by the Japanese, where guests will learn the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha green tea.
Visitors can also learn how to sculpt a miniature bonsai tree, where through a time-honoured process, artists prune and shape tiny trees to replicate those of much larger ones.
Finally, there will also be a kimono workshop for people interested in the intricacies of these beautiful ceremonial robes.
Admission is free, as is participation in the workshops.
Based on the 1929 play by Elmer Rice, Street Scene looks at the complex daily lives of people living in a walk-up tenement building in New York City, and the foreboding sense of despair that hovers over every interaction.
This opera in two acts was adapted by Kurt Weill and Langston Hughes and debuted at the Adelphi Theatre in New York City on the 9th of January 1947.
Weill was a well-known composer in his native land and escaped Nazi Germany in the early 1930’s. He found New York to be a receptive and vibrant place where he quickly integrated and found a place amongst the musical set. By the late 1940’s when Street Scene came out, he was a firm fixture, and the opera earned him the Tony for Best Musical Score.
The story revolves around two plotlines, that of the romance between star-crossed Rose Maurrant and Sam Kaplan, as well as the extramarital affair going on with Rose’s mother Anne. The opera portrays the lovers, their squabbles, the street gossip of the neighbours and the increasing tensions surrounding the Maurrant family, which ultimately lead to a tragic, murderous end.
Weill’s opera is a work somewhere between a musical, with its blues and jazz inflected numbers and soaring operatic arias, making it a true 20th century masterpiece.
The production is coproduced with the Teatro Real de Madrid and the Cologne Opera, and includes artists from the Rainier III Children’s Academy, the Choir Monte-Carlo, the Philharmonic of Monaco and the International School of Monaco.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, conductor Lawrence Foster will be replaced by his assistant conductor Lee Reynolds on February 21, 23 and 25.
Lee Reynolds, a young and talented conductor, had previously participated in the creation of this co-production at the Teatro Real in Madrid.
