Mediterranean warming fast, deserts may spread in Europe

Global warming is on track to disrupt the Mediterranean region more than any droughts or heatwaves in the past 10,000 years, turning parts of southern Europe into desert by the end of the century, scientists said on Thursday.

 

Average temperatures in the region have already risen by 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit) since the late 19th century, well above the world average of 0.85C (1.5F), according to the study led by France's Aix-Marseille University.

 

Man-made climate change "will likely alter ecosystems in the Mediterranean in a way that is without precedent" in the past 10,000 years unless governments quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers wrote in the journal Science.