Catalonia has declared a drought-induced “state of exceptionality” , tightening the restrictions already in place on many uses of water with the aim of safeguarding the population’s water supply. The situation is serious, and simply folding our arms and hoping for rain is not enough.
Two studies led by Jofre Carnicer, CREAF researcher and professor at the University of Barcelona-IRBIO, show that natural areas that maintain microclimates are more resilient to climate change and biodiversity loss. Both studies conclude that microclimates (areas of natural space with different temperature, shade or humidity) become climatic refuges when there are extreme conditions, and that they should be studied in detail to assess the real impacts of global warming on nature.
Why can the drought that Catalonia is experiencing today not be blamed solely on climate change? Could the situation of persistent drought be a foreshadowing of what Europe will experience in the coming years? To what extent does the situation have to do with water management policies? What are the steps we need to take from now on? We are trying to provide a summary to answer these questions, about a case that is not isolated and may be the prelude to situations that will arise over the next 50 years.
On 7 November, the European Parliament was the venue for an unprecedented seminar entitled "The need for forest management. The case of Mediterranean forests", organised by Catalan MEP Jordi Solé, vice-president of the Greens/EFA parliamentary group. The seminar opened with a welcome address by Jordi Solé, who presented the critical context of forests in Catalonia. The event was attended by leading figures in the field from various research centres and institutions, including CREAF.
CREAF and CSIC researcher Josep Peñuelas signed an editorial in Global Change Biology about COP26 and their results or objectives, like nature based solutions.
Drought and its consequences is one of the 4 most critical natural hazards in the mountain areas of Southwest Europe, together with floods, fires and soil degradation. This is one of the starting points of the third transnational seminar on strategies for the management and prevention of drought impacts on mountain forests in Southwest Europe, integrated in the SUDOE MONTCLIMA project.
Japan is among the countries that are best prepared for natural disasters, those with the most hospital beds, the highest levels of education, prevention plans, adapted urban designs and so forth. Why, then, is it also one of the countries whose inhabitants are most at risk from such disasters?
