Many of these impacts are already evident and will continue to advance in the future, with a foreseeable increase in the rate of desertification, the number of fires and floods, or the lack of resources such as drinking water or fertile soil for crops.

One of the areas most vulnerable to the climate crisis in Spain is the Mediterranean basin, a zone zero where droughts, the lack of fresh water and the rise in sea level will be felt, with an increase in the temperature of its waters, generating an impact that will hit this region in a particularly virulent way.

Since the 20th century, the temperature of our planet has risen by more than 1ºC, according to temperature analysis carried out since 1880 by scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. The Secretary General of the United Nations announced the red alert for our planet and, therefore, for humanity.

Data showed that 2020 was a historically warm year in the Iberian Peninsula, followed by August 2017. River basins in the Spanish northwest have been verging on alarming, unprecedented values, around less than 40% of their capacity, and those that usually suffer marked water stress, in the south and Mediterranean basin, sometimes hover around 10% of their capacity.

Another one of the most worrying effects of climate change in Spain is the possibility that the global sea level will rise by three meters between now and the year 2100.  If the sea level rises three meters, a large part of many coastal cities, such as Barcelona, Malaga, A Coruña or Santander would have floods regularly. Furthermore, coastal natural sites, such as Doñana, the Ebro river delta or the Rías Baixas, would probably disappear.

Seventy five percent of Spanish soil is already in the process of desertification and it is predicted that twenty percent of what is safe today will be at risk in 50 years. Soil will be degraded in several regions, such as Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla La Mancha and the Levante coast, something that will affect both agriculture and natural ecosystems. The loss of fertile soil would increase the vulnerability of all species, including humans. It would create a major crisis in traditional agriculture, displacing many to cities, provoking a rise of the pollution levels in these areas and causing climate change to continue to feed back on itself.

Hazards caused by climate change will affect water resources, coasts, health, tourism, agriculture and livestock, energy and transportation. Many of these are urgent, such as the decreasing volume of river flows and reduced freshwater availability due to droughts. Related to this impact is the risk of reduced hydropower production due to changes in precipitation and temperature.

The most direct consequence of climate change for human beings regards to their health. There will be an increase in diseases that can make the leap from the animal world to humans. There will also be an increase in mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever, yellow fever, Nile fever and Zika fever. In addition, it points to the need for measures to be taken to counteract heat stress-related damage (increased mortality and morbidity.

Individual actions to limit the effects

At the Conference of the Parties (COP21) in December 2015, 195 countries adopted various targets to reduce greenhouse gases and mitigate and adapt to the effects of global warming.

The Paris Agreement aims to avoid global warming of more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to continue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Spanish citizens can adapt their activities and lifestyles to limit their impact on climate. Some easy actions include  using sustainable means of transport, choosing a green power at home and optimizing energy consumption.