The Mediterranean region, which was hit this July by record high temperatures and forest fires, has been characterized by Climate Change hotspot scientists.

The beaches, shellfish and historic sites of the Mediterranean stretching from southern Europe to northern Africa and western Asia are under threat.

What are the greatest threats to the Mediterranean region, as classified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC/GIEC) of the UN:

Deadly heat waves

Like parts of the United States and Asia, the Mediterranean has been hit by extremely high temperatures in recent weeks. Temperatures in Sicily and Sardinia may exceed the European record of 48.8°C.

“Heat waves are increasing because of Climate Change in the Mediterranean and are being magnified in cities because of urbanization policies,” causing disease and death, the IPCC’s 2022 report on Climate Change Consequences and Adaptation says.

A 2010 study by the University of Bern estimated that the intensity, duration and number of heat waves in the eastern Mediterranean have multiplied by 6 or 7 times compared to the 1960s.

Threats to cereals and olives

Stanford University researchers highlighted the fact that “most Mediterranean crops are already suffering significant negative consequences due to Climate Change.

Already this year, farmers in northern Africa are bracing for a poor harvest of fodder, grain and horticulture crops due to drought.

Water and politics

The Intergovernmental Panel’s report has warned that Climate Change would worsen water shortages in most areas of the Mediterranean.

It predicts a reduction of up to 45% in water reserves in lakes and reservoirs over the course of the century and up to a 55% reduction in the availability of surface water in northern Africa. At the same time, “terrestrial ecosystems as well as freshwater ecosystems are affected by Climate Change in the Mediterranean causing loss of habitats and biodiversity”.

According to the European Drought Monitor, the water table in half of the Mediterranean regions was already at low levels in June.

Politically, the drought in Spain has raised tensions ahead of the July 23 election.

Sea level rise

Sea levels in the Mediterranean region have risen by 2.8 mm per year in recent decades, threatening coastal areas and cities like Venice, which are increasingly affected by flooding.

“Sea level rise is already affecting the coastal waters of the Mediterranean perimeter and is expected to increase the risk of flooding, soil erosion, and coastal salinization,” warns the IPCC.

“These phenomena can affect agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, urban development, port operations, tourism, archaeological sites and a host of coastal ecosystems.”

Invasive alien species

Climate Change does not only threaten the beaches, the tourist jewels of the Mediterranean. All aquatic ecosystems, as well as the food supply ecosystems that depend on them, may also be affected.

“Since the 1980s, drastic change has taken place within Mediterranean ecosystems, with the reduction of biodiversity combined with the arrival of invasive alien species.

Among them the harefish, of tropical origin, which devours the algae and sea grasses of the Mediterranean seabeds, depriving other marine species of valuable resources.

Under the scenario of global warming of more than +1.5°C relative to pre-industrial times, more than 20% of fish and shellfish exploited in the eastern Mediterranean could disappear by area by 2060 and fishing incomes could decrease by up to 30% by 2050, scientists warn.