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      1. Climate
        1. Impacts of Climate Change
          1. Rising temperatures
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Climate change impacts in Greece

Loggerhead turtle swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Zákinthos, Lagana Bay, Greece.

Climate change impacts in Greece - what the IPCC 4th Assessment Report has found:

  • Southern Greece could be one of the regions most affected by increase in year-to-year variability in summer climates and thus a higher incidence of heat waves and droughts. Mediterranean droughts would start earlier in the year and last longer [12.3.1.2.].
  • Greece will experience a lengthening and a flattening of their tourism season by 2030. Occupancy rates associated with a longer tourism season in the Mediterranean will evenly spread demand and thus alleviate the pressure on summer water supply and energy demand [12.4.9] 
  • See also Mediterranean basin for regional impacts (e.g. droughts and water stress).

WWF work

What WWF is doing on the ground in Greece to protect against climate change:

WWF Climate Change Programme and Species Programme are working together on a Mediterranean marine turtle and sea-level rise project with the initial focus on Greece.

Climate change threatens to compound all other threats to marine turtles and potentially push some species over the brink of extinction by threatening their long-term survival. In response, WWF has designed a study which examines marine turtle nesting sites in the Mediterranean, which will assess and quantify climate change impacts such as loss of nesting and feeding habitat; increased sand temperature, which can lead to changes in sex ratios; higher water temperatures, which cause coral to bleach and other damage to turtle feeding habitat; changes in ocean currents, which can impact migration paths; and extreme rainfall events, which can flood nests.

Using this information, WWF will assess climate change impacts on other turtle species and will develop conservation strategies for protecting turtles. Once completed, WWF will provide tools, such as a map highlighting current nesting areas, key habitats and migration paths that are potentially threatened by sea level and temperature increases, so that conservationists can prioritize their efforts.

This project will be similar to the hawksbill turtle project in the Caribbean.

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