01/07/205 – Global warming
could mean hard times ahead for the Mediterranean,
including its all important tourism industry,
according to a report commissioned by WWF.
Tourists are set to sizzle in hotter summer
temperatures and may well stay in cooler countries
as the region's climate becomes hotter and
more variable.
The Mediterranean coastline is the world’s
most popular tourist destination, attracting
30 per cent of the world’s tourists and tourism
revenue. But the report says that a 2°C
rise in global temperatures would mean more
frequent heat waves and droughts, more forest
fires, and problems for freshwater and agriculture.
All these factors, directly and indirectly,
discourage summer holidays in the Mediterranean.
“If temperatures were to continue to rise
by 2°C and higher, this would be bad news
for the Mediterranean," said Dr Tina
Tin, the report's scientific coordinator.
“A 2°C warming scenario would have very
negative consequences for the future of the
tourism industry in the region – heat waves
and forest fires would make families go elsewhere
for their summer holidays.”
According to WWF, if climate change is not
curbed, the region could expect searing temperatures
with up to six weeks more of extreme heat
days (defined as plus 35°C) per year.
The increased number of hotter days would
translate into a higher fire risk, with implications
for the safety of tourists visiting the region.
The southern part of the Mediterranean would
be at risk of forest fires practically all
year round and nearly everywhere else in the
region the risk of fire would be expected
to extend by up to six weeks.
WWF is also worried by the outlook for the
agricultural sector, where higher temperatures
and longer droughts could mean less food produced
by farms in the region. As temperatures warm
up and summer rain diminishes, crops depending
on rain would be most severely affected, with
yields expected to decline by up to 40 per
cent.
“To avoid irreparable damage to the economies
of the Mediterranean we must act now to slow
the increase in global temperature,” said
Jennifer Morgan, head of WWF’s Global Climate
Change Programme.
“As the world's political leaders meet at
the G8 in Scotland next week, they need to
come up with clear, targeted, and accountable
commitments and an action plan to reduce emissions
and prevent this dangerous climate change
from happening."
WWF is calling on heads of states meeting
at the G8 summit in Scotland to commit to
reductions in CO2, and increases in energy
efficiency and renewable energy to curb global
warming and keep the global average temperature
increase below 2°C.
