CyI’s Papanicolas joins France Overseas Academy of Sciences

In a ceremony held in Paris, France, on December 15, 2023, CEO of the Cyprus Research and Educational Foundation (CREF) and Cyprus Institute Professor Costas Papanicolas, was installed as an Associate Member of the Overseas Academy of Sciences of France – Académie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer (ASOM).

Prof. Papanicolas’ election marks a historic moment, as he becomes the first Cypriot to receive such an honour. Prof Papanicolas, a founding member of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, was also the first Cypriot to be elected as member of Academia Europaea (2011) and of the Silk Road Academy of Sciences (2017).

Introduced to the Academy by EEWRC Director Prof. Fadi Comair, in the presence of ASOM President Roland Pourtier, at the ceremony Prof. Papanicolas delivered a presentation on “Climate Change in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East: A Regional Crisis and Its Global Implications”.

In his presentation, Prof. Papanicolas noted that the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region, home to about 450 million people and characterised by cultural, ethnic, religious, and economic diversity, is climatologically labelled by researchers as a “climate hot-spot”.

“Its greenhouse gas emissions are comparable to those of the EU and are on the rise,” noted Prof. Papanicolas. “Climate impacts in the region are forecasted to be severe, leading to catastrophes of unprecedented magnitude, with economic, political, and social implications that could have global ramifications.”

Results from a two-year study by a team of approximately 240 scientists, were also presented.

About Académie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer (ASOM)

Académie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer was founded in 1922, originally to study scientific questions concerning and affecting primarily French territories and colonies. In 1957, its mission was expanded to study global scientific issues outside France. The opening session took place at the Sorbonne on May 18, 1923. Albert Lebrun was its founding President who later became President of France (1932-40). The Academy has a library containing more than 130,000 works, and 1,600 periodicals. Associate members are non-French members, typically leaders in their societies, such as Prince Albert II of Monaco, former president of Brazil Fernardo Carosso, Prime Minister of Congo Anatole Collinet Makosso, and so on.