The Green Barrier of the Mediterranean: the Future of Mediterranean Climate Resilience

Disclaimer: The following article reflects the personal views and research of Emilio Leonardo Egger Prieto, an undergraduate student at Columbia University School of General Studies. He is not affiliated with the Center, and the opinions expressed do not represent the organization’s.

“In a world growing hotter day by day, the Mediterranean has emerged as a critical battleground in the fight against the climate crisis. The Mediterranean region faces an especially acute climate crisis, warming 25% faster than the world average, with summer temperatures rising 40% more rapidly. 1 In recent years, this accelerated warming has driven increasingly severe and frequent heat waves, droughts, and wildfires across the basin. The summer of 2023 was particularly alarming: June shattered historical heat records, only to be surpassed by July, and subsequently by August’s extreme temperatures in cities like Valencia (46.8ºC on August 10) and Agadir (50.4ºC on August 11).2 ”

Read the full article here.

By Emilio L. Egger Prieto, Columbia GS'25

Emilio L. Egger Prieto is a Spanish-Austrian student in his fourth year of the Columbia - Sciences Po Dual BA Program. He enrolled in the Mediterranean & Middle East program at Sciences Po’s Menton campus and is pursuing a major in Human Rights at Columbia University. Emilio recently spent two months in Tunisia, where he continued his Arabic studies and conducted research for a local NGO (Blue Tunisia) focused on environmental issues. His academic and professional interests lie in fostering cross-Mediterranean relations and cooperation.