The Mediterranean region consists of three continents i.e. Europe, Asia and Africa sharing borders around the Mediterranean Sea. The region is a host for remarkable natural diversity and socio-cultural values. Currently the region is a habitat for over 500 million people made up of a high density of the population with urban and infrastructure near the sea level. The Mediterranean Sea with its complex geographical nature has unique environmental characteristics and has undergone constant change in human activities in ages.
The region is considered a leading tourist destination and the most active shipping paths on the globe. The culture of the region is embedded in the Mediterranean diet involving a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and predominantly the sharing and consumption of food. The Mediterranean diet highlights values of hospitality, cooperation, inter-cultural discourse and innovation, and a lifestyle anchored on respect for diversity. The role of the Mediterranean diet in cultural heritage and celebrations is very critical as it brings together people irrespective of gender, age and even social class. It involves the expertise and production of conventional vessels for the transfer, conservation and consumption of food, such as ceramic plates and glasses.
One of the eminent challenges in recent times is the issue of climate change. This does not affect just the environment but the wellbeing of humans including their cultural heritage. Culture is however considered one of the key resources for the adaptation and mitigation of climate change. The Mediterranean culture nurtures a mixture social life and connection with people. Yet, the rise in temperatures above 20% is faster than the global average with real and stern consequences across the Mediterranean basin, and these will increase over the impending decades.
Impacts
Globally, there is a rise in loss of inhabitable lands, houses and major cultural sites. Indigenous communities are experiencing deteriorating of reliable fresh water and food, poor health conditions and air quality during hotter summer and bush burning seasons. In the Mediterranean region, there is an increasing number of observed climate change impacts around the whole basin. The region is a flash point for severe consistent climate hazards with high impact on key economic sectors like tourism, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Apart from the impact on these sectors, climate change also affects the culture of the people in the Mediterranean region.
The most vulnerable areas are the low-lying regions facing climate change hazards such as floods, erosion and sea level rise. Other subsequent risks advancing towards the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals varies greatly between Mediterranean sub-regions. The northwestern countries tend to have stronger resilience than the southern and eastern countries. Most of the land ecology in the Mediterranean are affected by the adverse impacts of climate change conditions such as dryness instigating a series of prevalent species to deteriorate and causing a decline in the health and growth rate of trees. The Mediterranean region is becoming less attractive for tourism due to the rise in extreme temperatures.
Extreme climatic conditions such as heat waves affects the highly dense population in the urban areas, their health and social life. High temperatures during summer and the intense heat waves have negative impacts on tourist within the Mediterranean region. Even though the Mediterranean is known for high human mobility across the regions, the climatic risks have limited these movements affecting social life and cultural diversity. For instance, cultural heritage sites in the region face climatic threats from coastal flooding.
Some studies have predicted that sea level rise will likely increase the climatic risks facing cultural heritage sites based on the record that 37 out of 49 cultural World Heritage sites today faces risk from a 100-year flood, and 42 of them from coastal erosion (Reimann et al., 2018; Ravanelli et al., 2019; Tagliapietra et al., 2019). Reimann et al., (2018) further projects that by 2100, 47 of the 49 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sites will likely face risks from coastal flooding or erosion. Other projections have been made by studies about a decrease of climatic comfort for tourism in the Mediterranean by 2071 to 2100, specifically in summer (Jacob et al., 2018; Braki and Anagnostopoulou, 2019).
Impacts of heatwaves and high temperatures on tourism in Mediterranean
The Mediterranean region is classified as a “hot spot” for climate-change. According to the European Travel Commission, the recurrent heatwaves and fearful concerns about the climate crisis are likely to spark an end to the Mediterranean as a holiday destination. Most people go on holiday to have a feel of the hot weather but the high temperatures in recent times because of climate change impacts have reduced the amount of time people spend during holidays. This is becoming alarming for the tourism sector and for most tourism-reliant economies. Heat waves and high temperatures have not just affected long holidays but also deterring some from making the move.
The heat waves have also affected the take-off of aircrafts as it is difficult for aircrafts to take off from the ground during hot seasons due to how the air becomes less dense. Tourists will most likely travel during spring and autumn periods and opt for cool destinations rather than places with high temperatures. This will adversely affect tourists’ destinations that have been hit by the high impact of climate change. According to Germany’s Federal environment agency, the Mediterranean beaches have suffered the impact of large-scale land loss with effect on the reduction in the space for number of huts and sunbeds that some beaches used to have.
The high temperatures have also extended drought periods in some parts of the Mediterranean region affecting agriculture. The climate crises have affected the natural resources that could support both agriculture and tourism. It is sad to note that tourism and agriculture compete for the scarce resources such as water during drought period. The high temperature effect on hotel swimming pools and other vulnerable facilities makes vacation and tourism less attractive for some people.
Author:
Jane Osei, PhD candidate
Edith Cowan University, AU
Research/Analyst intern
Mentor:
Marija Lazarević, MSc, CEO
MariXperience Ltd.
