Spain is already the country in all of Europe that is being affected the most by the consequences of global warming. The temperature will rise more than 1,5 degrees centigrade, which will mean an increase of more than double the global average. In addition, the sea level will continue to rise as the melt at the Poles worsens.
This climate change is affecting life, both marine and terrestrial, in Spanish ecosystems, which see how it is increasingly difficult for them to lead a normal life.
The climate in the south of the country is becoming more »African», as we mentioned in Another item; and the north is more »Mediterranean». The average temperature in some areas of Spain could increase »four, five or six degrees»Before the end of the century, if the current trend does not change, according to Ernesto Rodríguez, head of the Climate Assessment and Modeling Area of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
The lack of rainfall is making crops have real difficulties to bear fruit, especially in the south of the peninsula. But, in addition, the tourism sector, the one that generates the most income in the country, is another major victim of climate change, and that is that as temperatures rise, extreme weather events such as droughts or heat waves will intensifyWithout counting on the Spanish ski resorts, they could be forced to close ... or to produce artificial snow.
All these changes are also affecting biodiversity. For example, in Montseny (Barcelona) or in the Sierra de Guadarrama (Madrid), junipers, beech trees, heather, as well as some birds, such as the cerrojillo flycatcher, already are having difficulties to survive in these latitudes.
On the other hand, invasive insects and animals, such as the pine processionary, a caterpillar that affects pines badly, every time survive at higher altitudes, because winters are milder.
It is a situation that, although it cannot be changed, it could be avoided to worsen it if we took care of the planet.