Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Cross-Chapter-Paper-4 (section)

=== FAQ CCP4.1 | Is the Mediterranean Basin a ‘climate change hotspot’? ===

<div id="h2-21-siblings" class="h2-siblings"></div>

''Is the Mediterranean ‘a geographical area characterised by high vulnerability and exposure to climate change’? Climate change projections for the Mediterranean Basin indicate with very high consistency that the region will experience higher temperatures, less rainfall and continued sea level rise during the coming decades. Given that summers are already comparatively dry, these factors together will likely cause substantially drier and hotter conditions as well as coastal flooding, impacting people directly but also harming ecosystems on land and in the ocean.''

For the Mediterranean Basin, climate models consistently project regional warming at rates about 20% above global means and reduced rainfall (–12% for global warming of 3°C). While it is not the region with the highest rate of expected warming on Earth, the Mediterranean Basin is considered particular in comparison to most other regions due to the high exposure and vulnerability of human societies and ecosystems to these changes: a ‘climate change hotspot’.

Rising temperatures trigger extensive evaporation of water from all wet surfaces, notably the sea, lakes and rivers, but also from soils. Along with decreasing rainfall, this evaporation leads to shrinking water resources on land, drier soils, reduced river flow, and significantly longer and more intensive drought spells. Since the Mediterranean climate is already relatively dry and warm in the summer, any additional drought (and also heat) will affect plants, animals and people significantly, and ultimately entire societies and economies.

In general, increasing temperatures and more intensive heat waves in the basin threaten human well-being, economic activities, and also many ecosystems on land and in the ocean. Extreme rainfall events, which despite the lower total rainfall are expected to increase in intensity and frequency in some regions, generate significant risks for infrastructure and people through flash floods. Warming also affects the ocean and its ecosystems, jointly with acidification caused by atmospheric carbon dioxide. Finally, sea level rise, currently accelerating because of global ice loss, threatens coastal ecosystems, historical sites and a growing human population.

<div id="_idContainer010x" class="Figure"></div>

[[File:7f1085cf0e180e26b1ffd131aa3a9012 IPCC_AR6_WGII_Figure_CCP4_FAQ_4_1_1.png]]

'''Figure FAQ CCP4.1.1 |''' '''Key risks across the Mediterranean region by 2100.''' The symbols above the map highlight risks enhanced by climate change which apply to the entire region with ''high confidence'' . Other risks are localised in the map.

Risks associated with projected climate change are particularly high for people and ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin due to the unique combination of many factors, including:

* A large and growing urban population exposed to heat waves, with limited access to air conditioning
* A large and growing number of people living in settlements impacted by rising sea level
* Important and increasing water shortages, already experienced by 180 million people today
* Growing demand for water by agriculture for on irrigation
* High economic dependency on tourism, which is likely to suffer from increasing heat but also from the consequences of international emission reduction policies on aviation and cruise-ship travel
* Loss of ecosystems in the ocean, wetlands, rivers and also uplands, many of which are already endangered by unsustainable practices (e.g., overfishing, land use change).

<span id="faq-ccp4.2-can-mediterranean-countries-adapt-to-sea-level-rise"></span>