Recent scientific research on the Mediterranean indicates that climate change will exacerbate many of the area's existing problems, including desertification, water scarcity and limits to food production. Changes in weather patterns and average temperatures are also likely to introduce new threats to human health and natural ecosystems. The authors in this significant new book identify the possible impacts and scenarios, and then define practical strategies for adapting to, and mitigating, the effects of climate change from an integrated socio-economic perspective.The book begins with a broad global overview of the probable economic and social consequences of climate change. The authors then focus on the issue of water resources and assess a range of potential problems such as increasing droughts, adequate irrigation, reduced water quality and population migration due to severe shortages. They move on to examine issues surrounding land use including desertification, degradation, agriculture and waste management. Finally, they investigate the coastal zones of the Mediterranean which are economically vulnerable to variations in climate due to their reliance on tourism. The book integrates methodological and empirical issues, provides interdisciplinary analyses of the effects of climate change and explores policy implications for the future.The informative and stimulating research found in this volume constitutes a first step towards a better understanding of climate change in the Mediterranean. It will be essential reading for researchers of environmental and resource economics, and policymakers in the Mediterranean region and in other coastal areas around the world.
