POLICY BRIEF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT CAN CLIMATE CRISIS LEAD TO BRIDGE­BUILDING ACROSS THE AEGEAN? Nikos Charalambides Pınar Sayan February 2023 Climate change, a common global threat, offers unique opportunities for cooperation in the region of the eastern Mediterranean. Working together in building energy communities helps to reduce carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, while increasing people power and participation. Dealing with common threats requires close cooperation, not increasing tension. Civil society can play a key role in proposing and shaping concrete approaches. Energy, food and climate impacts have been identified as‘low hanging fruit’ for close cooperation between people and local authorities in the region.