The World Climate Summit (COP22), currently being held in Marrakech, aims to limit the increase in the planet's average temperature to 2 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, all countries that signed the Paris Agreement must have an active participation so that they can keep abreast of international movements and debates, and enrich the draft Law on Climate Change that is being drafted.
Thus, despite the fact that Spain signed the Agreement but will not ratify it until 2017, The Balearic Islands are already present at COP 22.
Joan Groizard, general director of Energia i Canvi Climàtic (Energy and Climate Change), is the representative of the Balearic community. The Government also said that they are working for »generate synergies and connect with other regions and islands to share reflections, concerns and common lines of action».
Effects of climate change in the Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands is an archipelago in which, due to its geographical location, rainfall is generally low. The storms that enter through the northwest of the country usually arrive very worn out to the islands, which are in the middle of an almost completely closed sea, that is, a sea that is fed only by the water of the Atlantic that passes through the Strait of Gibraltar. However, it is crucial to consider that the global emissions remain stable And this has implications for regions such as the Balearic Islands, which face the challenges of climate change and the need to assess the impact it has on their natural environment.
As the planet warms, on the islands we are seeing how summer lengthens more and more and autumn almost disappears. To this must be added the less and less rain, which is a very serious problem if we take into account that a large part of their income comes from tourism. As the meteorologist Agustí Jansà explains in a interview for the newspaper El Mundo, in the Balearic Islands the temperature has risen 2 degrees in 40 years, and that, although it may seem small, is actually a lot, especially if we consider the impact of climate change on tourism and the local ecosystem.
With regard to sea level rise, it could climb between 30 centimeters and one meter by the end of the century, causing beaches to recede. This is a phenomenon that has been observed in various parts of the world, and is a concern that also affects the Balearic Islands and needs to be addressed during COP 22. Rising sea levels are a key issue, as they directly impact coastlines and can have devastating consequences for the local economy and population.
Therefore, COP 22 is very important, as it is the time to specify how the commitments will be implemented. to combat climate change and defend the interests of the Balearic Islands in this global process.
