2023-11-02 17:00:00
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC by its acronym in English) has been developing detailed reports about its devastating consequences on the planet. This institution also emphasizes the possible strategies to follow in order to combat this serious problem, recommendations that ultimately are those that should inspire governments in their final decisions.
Hoesung Lee, director del IPCC, states that the conclusions of this report represent an urgent and clear warning about the dire consequences of inaction and that the “half measures” taken by most countries are not enough to stop the consequences of global climate change.
The challenge of climate change in Spain
Over the years, evidence of the impact climate change will have on people’s lives has been mounting. For example, the more than 3,500 pages of the report Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability of Working Group II of the International Panel on Climate Change detail the effect that, according to current evidence, it will have on Spain. The report highlights how climate change affects ecosystems and economic and social systems, and in the specific case of Spain this relationship necessarily involves agriculture and the availability of water. Increasing demand for water can deplete aquifers and drastically reduce irrigation, causing a great economic impact in other sectors such as transportation or hydroelectric energy generation..
On the other hand, if CO2 emissions into the atmosphere remain high in our country and cannot be reduced, according to a EU study, presented in the same IPCC report, 7 million people will end up living in areas with water scarcity with the consequent negative effect (currently, droughts already cost 1.5 billion euros, according to the same study), damage that, according to an estimate published in 2021 in the prestigious magazine Naturewill increase by 250 percent.
Seven million people will end up living in areas with water scarcity with the consequent negative effect.
Photo: iStock
The drought will affect all crop fields.
The report goes on to explain that in a scenario with such high CO2 emissions, extreme heat waves will occur every year in Spain. 75% of our territory is already in serious danger of suffering a desertification process due to a combination of irregular rains, a significant increase in temperatures and constant mistreatment of the soil.
According to an estimate published in 2021 in the prestigious magazine Naturedrought risks will increase by 250%.
According to the conclusions of the IPCC study, if measures are not taken to reduce these emissions, in 2050 the number of people who will die annually due to heat in Spain will go from about 1,500 to about 8,000 (although there are even more alarming studies that point to (this figure could be even worse). Cities like Madrid or Barcelona could see their summer temperatures increase on average by about five degrees for more than 79 days. For its part, Seville could even reach extreme values of more than 50 degrees in summer.
Another factor to take into account, according to the report, is flooding. In fact, currently, In Spain, some 200,000 people live in areas that will most likely be exposed to annual floods around the middle of the century. In a study published in 2019 in the journal Nature It is stated that the Ebro delta or the north of Algeciras could be seriously affected by this. Finally, experts agree that both governments and the population in general should take note that climate change is a phenomenon that is here to stay, and society as a whole must be fully aware that each A tenth of a degree that it is possible to stop is a victory for the climate. And for all.
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