Circular Water and Energy Solutions in the Mediterranean

What does climate adaptation look like in Mediterranean regions already experiencing heatwaves, droughts, and floods? In this interview, we speak with Klio Monokrousou, the coordinator of the Greek demo site. She shares how local authorities are navigating scarce resources, rising community awareness, and the push for innovative solutions like circular water and energy systems.

According to the European Committee of the Regions, 90% of climate change adaptation measures are undertaken by local and regional authorities. Looking at your own region, do you think the local authorities have the resources to implement these measures? What do you think they are missing?

KM: “In the Mediterranean, local and regional authorities are really at the forefront of climate action—managing about 90% of adaptation measures, according to the European Committee of the Regions. But the reality on the ground is uneven. Many authorities are working with very limited budgets, few staff, and sometimes outdated infrastructure. On top of that, they often lack access to advanced climate data or the technical expertise needed to interpret it, and coordination across departments can be difficult.

Beyond these practical hurdles, there’s also a bigger challenge: the absence of a long-term vision. Without it, adaptation efforts can end up being short-term, reactive, and fragmented. What’s truly needed is a stronger foundation: financial support, reliable data, technical tools, proper training, and strategic guidance. With these resources, local authorities could shift from crisis response to proactive planning, and help build resilient communities and infrastructure across the Mediterranean.”

Have locals, policymakers or businesses generally become more vocal about changes in their environment due to climate change?

KM: “Yes, awareness is definitely growing, but engagement looks different across groups. Local communities are noticing the changes first-hand experiencing longer heatwaves, droughts, sudden floods. These communities are speaking up, though their voices don’t always travel far. Policymakers tend to be louder, partly because of public pressure and the urgent need to plan for resilience. Businesses are more mixed: some are proactive, driven by regulations, customer demand, or even direct losses from extreme weather, while others are still lagging behind. Overall, recognition is on the rise, but the level of real, active engagement is uneven.”

You have been developing climate adaptation packages in the project. Is there one measure that has stood out to you, or that you’re most proud of?

KM: “One measure I’m especially proud of is the pilot use of Sewer Mining technology in East Attica. It’s a true circular economy solution: wastewater is taken directly from the sewer, treated on-site, and turned into high-quality water that can irrigate green spaces, replenish groundwater, or serve other urban needs. What makes it so impressive is its flexibility; it’s decentralized, compact enough to fit in a single container, but also scalable across a city.

In Markopoulo, we pushed the concept of circularity even further. We combined the system with photovoltaic panels, reaching up to 90% energy autonomy closing the loop on water and energy. The training and demonstration centre itself was built with eco-friendly and recycled materials, so visitors don’t just see reclaimed water in action; they experience a fully circular approach in practice. And on top of that, with digital twins integrated into the system, we can monitor operations, visualize them in 3D, and fine-tune performance in real time.

For me, this solution stands out because it tackles water scarcity in a smart, practical, and replicable way. It eases pressure on natural resources while showing how cities can adapt sustainably.”

Throughout the project, you collaborated with partners from the six other demonstration sites. Were you surprised to find any problem (or solution) that was common to another demo site?

KM: “Yes, what surprised me most was how similar the challenges were, even in very different contexts. Stakeholder engagement kept coming up, not just getting people interested, but keeping them committed over time, which really requires creativity and constant communication. Another shared challenge was acceptance of new solutions. Even when technologies work, hesitation can linger because of regulations, perceived risks, or simply resistance to change. The positive side is that by sharing experiences across sites, through co-design, live demonstrations, and showing clear benefits, we found practical ways to overcome these barriers.”

What are the next steps for your demo site, and for your research?

KM: “Our next steps move mainly in three directions. First, we are working to optimise energy autonomy, pushing the system to be as efficient and self-sustaining as possible. Second, we intend to expand community and school engagement, using the site as a living lab where people can see and learn about climate adaptation in practice. And third, we are working to finalise a scaling-up roadmap, so the lessons from our demo site can be transferred and applied to larger projects elsewhere.”

How would you describe the cooperation among partners and related actors as well as the challenges encountered? Is there something in this cooperation you would like to see improved in the future?

KM: “Cooperation among partners has been very constructive, but not without challenges. Different authorities and organisations bring different procedures and working styles, which can slow down implementation and make stakeholder engagement more complex and crucial. Administrative steps are often lengthy, and permitting has been one of the biggest hurdles. Coordinating actions across multiple partners also adds pressure to the timeline.

Looking ahead, I’d like to see more streamlined coordination and clearer alignment of procedures. That would reduce delays, simplify collaboration, and allow us to focus more on delivering impact.”

The work carried out at the Mediterranean demo site highlights how circular approaches can ease pressure on natural resources while building resilience in vulnerable regions. By fostering stronger cooperation, deploying more effective tools, and following a clear roadmap for scaling up, the team shows how Mediterranean communities can advance towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.