Rise in temperature could devastate the Middle East, warn scientists

A multinational team of scientists warned that climate change might have catastrophic effects on the lives of millions of people in the East Mediterranean and the Middle East, where temperatures are rising nearly twice as quickly as the world average.

According to a study by the Cyprus Institute, under a "business as usual" scenario, the region might experience overall warming of up to 5 degrees Celsius or more by the end of the century.

According to the report, the temperature increase was more rapid than in any other populated region of the world and was almost twice as large.

The report will be presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which will be held in Egypt in November. It was created under the sponsorship of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center of The Cyprus Institute.

According to one scientist, a combination of decreased rainfall and weather warming would cause severe droughts, jeopardizing food and water security and leaving many nations unprepared for rising sea levels.

Dr. George Zittis stated that this scenario "would indicate major challenges for coastal infrastructure and agriculture, and can lead to the salinization of coastal aquifers, including the heavily populated and agricultural Nile Delta."

The annual temperature increase might be stabilized at roughly 2 degrees Celsius by achieving the primary goals of the Paris Agreement, a global agreement among nations to reduce emissions.

The quick implementation of decarbonization measures is advised by scientists, with an emphasis on the energy and transportation sectors.

According to Jos Lelieveld, director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, institute professor at the Cyprus Institute, and assessment coordinator, "stronger collaboration among the countries is indispensable to cope with the expected adverse impacts" as a result of the fact that many regional outcomes of climate change are transboundary.