Boats are at the dry shipyard on the Po in Torricella, Italy (file photo) Source: AP The Mediterranean region, which has been hit by heat waves and forest fires in recent weeks, has been declared by scientists as one of the hotspots of climate change. People, animals and nature, but also entire economic sectors in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East are threatened by climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, which regularly presents the most comprehensive report on global warming, describes the following five dangers:
deadly heat waves
“Heat waves are increasing in the Mediterranean region due to climate change and are being exacerbated in cities by the consequences of urban living,” leading to morbidity and death, according to the 2022 IPCC report.
Summers are getting hotter and more unbearable, also in Greece. There, the fire department is unable to control three fires near Athens.
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The University of Bern calculated in 2010 that the intensity, duration and number of heat waves in the eastern Mediterranean have increased six to seven times since the 1960s.
[Wie sich die Hitzewellen in Europa häufen – eine Chronologie.]
endangered crops
After a drought in North Africa, farmers brace for a terrible crop failure. “We’ve never had such a bad drought,” says Tunisian farmer Tahar Chaouachi, who grows wheat.
The last four years have been dry, but this year we expected rain. Instead, it got worse.
Tunisian farmer Tahar Chaouachi
As the hot climate means groundwater is used to irrigate crops, a temperature rise of more than 1.5 degrees in the northern Mediterranean could mean a fifth fewer olives being harvested, predicts the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Since the 19th century, the temperature on Earth has already increased by 1.1 degrees. According to researchers at Stanford University, the Mediterranean region is “experiencing significant adverse impacts for most crops”.
Water shortage
A drought in Spain has sparked debates over water supplies ahead of Sunday’s general election. The European Drought Observatory said half of the Mediterranean had low groundwater levels as early as June.
The IPCC report warned that climate change will exacerbate water shortages “in most places” in the region.
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Lakes and freshwater reservoirs are expected to lose up to 45% of their water this century. Up to 55% less surface water will be available in North Africa.
The IPCC warns that the impacts of climate change on land and marine ecosystems are also leading to loss of habitat and biodiversity.
sea level rise
In recent decades, the level of the Mediterranean Sea has risen by 2.8 millimeters per year, posing a threat to coasts and cities like Venice, which are heavily exposed to the tides.
Sea level rise is already affecting Mediterranean coastlines and is predicted to increase the risk of coastal flooding, erosion and salinization.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
“These impacts would harm agriculture, aquaculture, urban development, ports, tourism, cultural sites and many coastal ecosystems,” said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
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invasive species
Climate change threatens not only the beloved beaches of the Mediterranean, but also the sea and fisheries.
“Since the 1980s, Mediterranean ecosystems have been changing, which is reflected in the decline in biodiversity and the increase in invasive species” and can be attributed to climate change and other human activities, explains the IPCC.
Global warming also affects animals and plants. If they cannot adapt, they become less or completely disappear.
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With global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees, more than a fifth of fish and invertebrates in the eastern Mediterranean could be extinct by 2060. Fishing revenues could fall by up to 30% by 2050, the report says.