Warning of scientists; Middle East warming is twice the global average

According to IRNA from the website of the American newspaper Washington Post, according to a report prepared by the Cyprus Institute, the Middle East region can witness a general warming of up to 5 degrees Celsius or more by the end of the century.

This temperature increase will be almost double that predicted in other regions of the planet and faster than in other inhabited parts of the world.

This report, prepared under the supervision of the Max Planck Institute of Chemistry and the Climate and Atmospheric Research Center of the Cyprus Institute, will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) which will be held in November in Egypt.

A meteorological expert said that the combination of decreasing rainfall and warming climate will lead to severe drought and jeopardizing the water and food security of the residents of these areas, and many countries are not prepared for rising sea levels.

“This scenario poses serious challenges to coastal infrastructure and agriculture, and could lead to salinization of coastal aquifers, including the densely populated and cultivated Nile Delta,” said Dr. George Zetis of the Cyprus Institute, author of the report.

“Achieving the main goals of the Paris Agreement, the global agreement of countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, can stabilize the annual increase in temperature to about 2 degrees Celsius.”

Scientists recommend rapid implementation of decarbonization measures with special emphasis on the energy and transportation sectors.

“Since many of the regional consequences of climate change are transboundary, stronger cooperation between countries is necessary to deal with the expected adverse effects,” said Jos Leliold, director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and professor at the Cyprus Institute.