Climate change in the Mediterranean: Emerging risks and sustainable adaptation pathways

The broader Mediterranean Basin is a climate hotspot, warming faster than the global average and most other inhabited regions, including areas with similar Mediterranean-type climates. Global and regional projections indicate an acceleration of warming, combined with shifts in the hydrological cycle and more frequent and/or intense extreme events, leading to amplified impacts on societies and ecosystems. Given its distinctive combination of climatic and geographical features, rapid urbanization, high coastal concentration of population and assets, and rich yet diverse socio-cultural contexts, climate change poses a profound and multidimensional challenge to the Mediterranean region. This contribution will synthesize current knowledge on key climate risks, highlight emerging evidence on cascading hazards, and discuss sustainable, nature-based solutions and adaptation pathways specifically tailored to Mediterranean conditions.