Mediterranean warming 20% faster than global average: Official

Union for the Mediterranean Deputy Secretary-General Joan Borrell warned on Monday that the Mediterranean region is warming 20 percent faster than the global average, threatening marine biodiversity and increasing extreme weather risks as regional leaders gather in Antalya for the COP31 climate conference.

Warming seas threaten marine ecosystems

Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of the UN summit, Borrell highlighted the gap between the Mediterranean's image as a premier tourist destination and its growing climate vulnerability. "The Mediterranean region is a tourist destination for many people. So people tend to think that the Mediterranean is a very nice region, which it is, but it's a region that is in danger, in danger because of climate change," he said.

Borrell noted that rising sea temperatures endanger marine life essential to the region's social and cultural fabric. He also pointed to increasingly severe weather patterns, including devastating summer wildfires and autumn flash floods that have struck Mediterranean countries. "Our region is warming 20% faster than the global average," he stated.

Antalya hosts first 'Mediterranean COP'

Borrell described the Antalya conference as an opportunity to elevate the Mediterranean's climate challenges onto the world stage, noting that the conference's motto, "From Dialogue to Action Through Consensus," underscored the need to convert discussion into concrete measures. "With the Union for the Mediterranean and Türkiye as host country and as president of the COP, we wanted to make this COP also a Mediterranean COP, so that we raise awareness to Mediterranean, but at the global stage, that our region is particularly at risk," he said.

Antalya marks the first time a Mediterranean coastal city has hosted the UN climate conference. Borrell noted that the UfM and Türkiye's COP presidency had conducted eight months of consultations through the Antalya-Mediterranean Dialogues in seven regional countries to develop a shared climate agenda. A ministerial roundtable on Mediterranean climate issues is scheduled for November 17, while the conference's Mediterranean Pavilion is hosting more than 60 events focused on regional action.

Regional cooperation urged to bridge North-South divide

Borrell stressed that Mediterranean nations must overcome bilateral disputes and adopt cross-border renewable energy strategies to address shared climate threats. He identified solar and wind power as major opportunities for the region, comparing the energy transition to the Industrial and Neolithic revolutions, but noted that countries need to develop shared electricity connections to overcome storage challenges. "The only way to tackle climate change is through a cooperative approach. Technology is there, the funding is there, the needs are there, the social, economic needs from the countries are there, and we have the tools. We just need to learn to cooperate together," he said.

However, Borrell cautioned that traditional divisions between wealthy northern Mediterranean states and developing southern nations could derail climate negotiations. He warned that focusing solely on North-South differences would lead to conflict and endless dialogue without action, urging instead a "win-win" consensus. "Consensus needs to be built in win-win approaches for both northern and southern countries," Borrell said, citing Türkiye as a bridge between different regional perspectives and urging governments to look beyond national interests and "think globally."