The Mediterranean is turning into a tropical sea due to rising global temperatures, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned in a report published recently.
The Italian branch of the WWF says that due to the climate crisis, nearly 1,000 exotic species have adapted to life in its waters, thus replacing endemic species.
This finding confirms reports by Greek scientists that alien fish species from the Red Sea have “invaded” the Aegean and the Ionian Seas over the last several years.
Tropical sea temperatures?
The study found that with temperatures rising 20 percent faster than the global average and sea levels also rising—they are projected to have risen one meter by 2100—the Mediterranean is becoming the saltiest and fastest-warming sea on the planet.
“Urgent action is needed to further mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the new reality of a warming sea,” the WWF said.