Malta can expect increased heatwaves and drought, impacting the supply of food and water, as the Mediterranean is identified as a climate change hotspot in the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. No one will be untouched by the damaging effects of global warming in coming decades and the Mediterranean looks to be the most threatened part of Europe, according to the world’s most comprehensive climate change study to date published last week.
The report was compiled by more than 300 authors from 70 countries with contributions from thousands of global experts.
“Why should the world pay attention to this report? We have assessed impacts as they are happening, on natural and human systems on all continents and oceans... nobody on this planet is going to be untouched by the impacts of climate change,” said IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri.
The report aims to project how climate change will alter human society in coming decades.
While the impact of global warming may be moderated by factors like economic or technological change, the report found, disruptions are still likely to be profound.
Flooding, storm surges, droughts and heatwaves are among key risks. In the Mediterranean, more heatwaves mean the need for cooling will drive up energy costs while tourism will take a hit from 2050, when holidaymakers are expected to choose northern destinations.
The IPCC expects “multiple stresses and systemic failures due to climate change” in the Mediterranean. It is expected that fishery production will decrease and rising seas pose a growing threat.
Droughts will pressure water supplies and lower crop yields can threaten food safety. Computed groundwater recharge will fall by more than 70 per cent along the south rim of the Mediterranean.
The growing scarcity of freshwater and shrinking crop yields could lead to community displacement, known as “climate refugees”, the report warns.