Understanding multi-sectoral dynamics through local interactions for the development of a socio-environmental model for the Greek Living Lab

In February 2025, a collaborating team from EMVIS (LL leader and knowledge purveyor), Dr. Charles Wamucii (early career scientist of the I-CISK programme), and stakeholders from the Crete Living Lab worked together on the implementation of a socio-environmental model for the Crete LL. The goal was to assess in a holistic manner the impacts of climate change and the use of climate services on the island, by exploring the interaction of the island’s economic sectors, with water availability being a prime factor. The objective was to further understand the multi-sectoral dynamics that influence the island’s resilience to climate change.

Throughout the week, a series of participatory sessions took place involving Crete LL stakeholders. These sessions provided significant understandings of the interactions between the five interconnected sectors: tourism, water, transport, energy, and agriculture which affect the impacts of climate change on the island.

A particular focus was placed on how the availability of water influences the interactions of the primary and secondary sectors. These findings will be integrated into the development of the socio-economic model, to ensure that it accurately reflects cross-sectoral interactions.

At the end of the week, the team summarized the data collected, identifying key vulnerabilities related to climate adaption across the five sectors mentioned earlier. These results will be used for the refinement of the model and help guide future strategic planning for further development of climate services which address effectively the climate change challenges in Crete.