Photo source: David Ramos/Getty Images
In the last couple of years, Spain has experienced the devastating impacts of climate crisis. Devastating floods caused by a year’s worth of rain in one day, killed hundreds of people.
The early-stage analysis, carried out by scientists from the World Weather Attribution, said climate change is “the most likely explanation” for the unusual strength of the downpour.
"Global heating made the heavy rainfall in Spain this week about 12% heavier and twice as likely" -World Weather Attribution
Only a few months earlier, Spain was dealing with record droughts, caused by below-average rainfall. In areas such as Catalonia, it was the driest period since weather records began with 6 million people living with water restrictions.
Spain is known as “Europe’s Orchard” and produces one-third of the EU’s fruit production, with the EU is its primary market. It is responsible for 25% of the world’s citrus exports, of which 60% are oranges. Extreme weather events such as drought affect Spanish food production and is a cause of concern for other European countries and international markets for these products.
The UK and the Isle of Man rely heavily on food imports. Spain is the UK’s leading source of imported fresh produce, accounting for 25% of Britain’s fruit imports and 8% of its imported vegetables. In February, poor harvests in Spain contributed in part to high produce prices and product rationing by the UK’s major supermarket chains.
On Tuesday last week, researchers from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health found climate breakdown was behind more than half of the 68,000 heat deaths during the scorching European summer of 2022.
And a survey from Eurobarometer in May found 61% of Spanish people “totally agree” that environmental issues have a direct effect on their daily lives.
So why is Spain so susceptible to the effects of global warming?
Sadly, Southern Europe has long been acknowledged by Climate Scientists as one of the most vulnerable areas as extreme heat is more frequent and precipitation patterns are changing – and modelling shows that this will continue.
According to the National action programs (NAPs) for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) about 74% of Spain is at risk of desertification and 18% at high risk of becoming irreversibly desert. The regions of Murcia, Valencia and the Canary Islands are the most concerning areas, with a "high" or "very high" risk of desertification across 90% of the territory.
The European Union has flagged the vulnerability of its southern members to desertification in recent years. Image: European Commission
Given the severity of the impacts that Spain is continuing to experience, it will need to adapt to its new climate by better-conserving water, allowing more sustainable drainage systems in urban areas, adopting more sustainable agriculture practices, investing in infrastructure to assist with flooding and coastal protection, strengthen its public health systems and help educate its citizens on the resilience measures it will need to adopt moving forwards.
Since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Climate change is a concerning matter and it affects us all. This can be overwhelming, but there’s good news: solutions exist. Find out about what the Isle of Man is doing to fight the climate crisis and how you can take action as an individual or as a business.