France-Culture podcast – Guest: Sandrine Ruitton, Lecturer and researcher in marine biology at the University of Aix-Marseille, at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO).
The tropicalisation of the Mediterranean is driven by two factors: on the one hand, the natural northward migration of warm-water species already present in the region, and on the other, the arrival of tropical species via the Suez Canal.
The Mediterranean Sea is warming faster than anywhere else – 20% faster than the global average. It ranks second on the list of the areas warming the most, just behind the Arctic. The IPCC refers to it as a “hotspot” of climate change – there is no ideal equivalent in French, but let’s say that climate change has more severe consequences, in terms of both frequency and intensity, with increased risks of water shortages, droughts, wildfires, flooding, and the loss of both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Above all, the Mediterranean Sea and the entire basin are more vulnerable than other regions of the world.