Global warming to turn south of Spain into "desert": report

Global warming will turn southern Spain into a desert unless it is quickly brought under control, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Science.

The study said the region was already experiencing temperatures 1.3 degrees Celsius higher than in the period between 1880 to 1920.

The study modelled the effects of four different scenarios for carbon emissions ranging from what would happen if countries were able to respect the 1.5 degree temperature rise limit agreed at the Paris climate talks, to a worst scenario in which emissions were unchecked and temperatures rose by around five degrees by 2100.

The worst case option would see Sicily and vast parts of southern Spain turn into deserts.

"The Med is very sensitive to climatic change, maybe much more than any other region in the world," explained lead author Joel Guiot of Aix-Marseille University in the report. He said the changes would also have far-reaching social effects, due to the high numbers of people who live close to the sea.

"If we add additional problems due to climate change, it will be worse in the future," said Guiot, whose report did not investigate what would happen to the production of olives, many of which are cultivated in the regions likely to be affected. Endit