(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)
Amman, Dec. 11 (Petra) -- The Mediterranean region is one of the world's climate change hotspots due to, among others, water scarcity, desertification, concentration of economic activities and population in coastal areas and the reliance on climate-sensitive agriculture, the Union for the Mediterranean (UFM) said Tuesday.
The rise of temperature by 1.5 C, the limit set by the Paris Agreement, is already being exceeded, according to the latest IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C.
It recommended that urgent policies are needed to mitigate environmental risks and consider adaptation options. Yet, currently the lack of adequate information is delaying the process particularly for the most vulnerable southern Mediterranean societies, where fewer systematic observations schemes and impact models are based.
Aware of this challenge, the report said, the Union for the Mediterranean is supporting a dedicated regional effort to synthesize existing scientific knowledge across disciplines with the aim to provide a better understanding of the combined risks posed.
The study is being undertaken by the Network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC).
The main results of this preliminary assessment reveal that the regional temperature increase will be of 2.2C in 2040, possibly exceeding 3.8C in some regions in 2100.
The sea level rose at about 3 mm per year during last decades. There are important uncertainties concerning global mean sea level rise. Future projections range goes from 52 cm to 190 cm increase by 2100, the study shows.
Water resources are unevenly distributed around the Mediterranean with freshwater resources both in quality and quantity decreasing. On the other hand, food demand is increasing, while crop, fish and livestock yields are in decline, it revealed.
Ecosystems are increasingly impacted by climate change, change in land use, pollution and overexploitation, it added.
With limited resources and social conflicts on the rise, large-scale human migrations could be expected. Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries are often more vulnerable, with sanitary conditions that can deteriorate due to social and political situations, it warned.
A UfM-commissioned regional study on international public climate finance highlights that the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region has, in 2016, received an annual amount of around USD 8.3 billion to address climate financing.
This represents 13 percent of the worldwide funding for climate action. The main beneficiary countries of the funding flows in the Mediterranean region are currently Turkey (38 percent), Egypt (22 percent), Morocco (12 percent), and Jordan (12 percent). Mitigation projects make up the majority of the funds obtained (transport and energy generation).
"Whilst Climate Action is a necessity for the Euro-Mediterranean region, it also represents a unique opportunity for job creation, the promotion of innovative solutions and sustainable consumption and production patterns," UfM Deputy Secretary General for Energy and Climate Action, Jorge Borrego, said.
"With an estimated 98 percent increase in energy demand from the Southern Mediterranean countries by 2040, actions fighting climate change will be central to the integration and stability of the region," he concluded.
AK
11/12/2018 17:26:10
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