Paris (AFP) – Struck by near-record temperatures and wildfires during this week's heatwave, the Mediterranean region is ranked as a climate-change "hot spot" by scientists. Here are five key threats to the region flagged by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). "Heatwaves are increasing due to climate change in the Mediterranean, and are amplified in cities due to urbanisation practices," causing illness and death, the IPCC said in its 2022 report on impacts of climate change and how to adapt to them. Meanwhile "terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems are impacted by climate change in the Mediterranean, resulting in loss of habitats and biodiversity," it added. Invasive speciesAs well as its cherished beaches, climate change threatens the Mediterranean sea and the food produced by its fisheries.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 20, 2023 11:16 UTC