A new report published on Wednesday 14 March by the WWF warns that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, up to half of all plant and animal species in the world’s most naturally rich diversity areas could face extinction by 2050 under the effect of climate change. It states that European species – in the Mediterranean and in the Black Sea basin – will not be spared.
The report shows that 30% of species in the Mediterranean, such as sea turtles and tuna, run the same risk even if the average rise in temperature worldwide is maintained at 2° Celsius. This could rise to 50% if nothing is done to prevent such a risk.
“The EU must act to keep global temperature rise well under 2°C and to work for 1.5°C, as per the Paris Agreement, by ending fossil fuels rapidly, starting with coal by 2030”, comments Imke Lübbeke, the head of the WWF European Policy Office, who specialises in climate and energy.
The report is available online at: http://bit.ly/2HxuvaG. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)