A new EU-funded climate change report predicts that temperatures will be too high in the Greek Islands for tourists to enjoy summer holidays in July and August. The forecasts for a changed climate came yesterday at the publication of a major report on the impact in Europe of global warming caused by the build-up in the atmosphere of carbon dioxide.
The report, Assessment of Potential Effects and Adaptations for Climate Change in Europe, said current EU policies in farming, fisheries and regional development need to be revised to take account of climate change. Experts from the University of East Anglia carried out this first comprehensive climate impact assessment for the EU, drawing new conclusions about the effects of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
The report is timely, coming amid widespread flooding in the UK and a fortnight before international climate change talks at The Hague.
The report says the adverse effects of climate change will be greater in southern Europe than in the north, with water shortages and forest fires more common in the Mediterranean region. River Loire salmon will disappear and desertification of already arid areas in central Spain will increase.
Ireland and Britain can expect more flooding but there may be some benefits brought by global warming such as reduced energy needs.