Drought, heavy rains, sea level rise and pollution will increasingly affect the Mediterranean basin. Heats up 20% faster than the rest of the world.
This marking was done in COP29 At the invitation of the Union, experts Piero Lionello from the University of Salento in Azerbaijan and Abdel Monem, a consultant on climate and rural development, presented two reports in which they coordinated the contributions of fifty-five scientists from seventeen countries. For the Mediterranean, that is, the Conference of the European Union with the 16 countries in the Mediterranean Sea.
The French newspaper “Le Monde” cited the main results of these two reports, stressing that they sound the alarm for the Mediterranean basin and its 540 million people, and that if there is no reduction in so-called greenhouse gases, the average increase in temperature over the next two decades, which are considered extreme weather events. The “apocalyptic rain” that has fallen in recent days in the Valencian region of Spain, which can limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius, will intensify. At the same time, two experts predict that major infrastructure projects in the European Mediterranean will be at risk of flooding.
The two scientists also talk about the deterioration of the overall ecological situation in the Mediterranean basin, pointing to widespread droughts and depletion of freshwater resources due to rising temperatures. They also refer to plastic waste, noting that it is 100% floating and 50% submerged.
They also note that Mediterranean heatwaves have increased by 40% over the past two decades and are 15% longer. This includes, among other things, corals, sponges, molluscs, echinoderms, etc. results in death, but also results in reproduction of jellyfish. Finally, the effects are also significant in the field of agricultural production, where problems are already observed in olives, grapes, grains, fruits and vegetables. Something that will also have implications for food security for Mediterranean residents, two scientists report.