Barcelona“The Mediterranean that our parents and grandparents knew is going away.” This is how the marine geologist Miquel Canals has reflected on the tropicalization process of the Mediterranean Sea. In the opinion of marine biologist Cèlia Marrasé, despite the effects of global warming and the impact of pollution, “nature will always get away with it”. “If it gets hotter, some species will leave and others will come, they will adapt… But we should think that man is inside the ecosystem, and it’s better to think about it in time. He is more in danger l “human species than life on the planet”, added Marrasé.
The two experts agreed this Tuesday in the debate Is it time to save the Mediterranean?moderated by ARA journalist Sònia Sánchez and which is part of the series organized by the Institute of Catalan Studies and ARA. In the conversation, Canals and Marrasé presented data showing the warming of the Mediterranean – with a peak of 2.4 degrees in the summer of last year – and the relationship between this increase in temperature and the concentration of CO₂ . “What is needed, apart from going towards renewable energies, is to make us aware that we have to reduce energy consumption“, urged Marrasé.
Regarding the effect of this warming on marine biodiversity, Canals has explained that the increase in water temperature changes the distribution of species and also causes episodes of mass mortality. “This is associated with the tropicalization of the Mediterranean, species arrive there that previously did not enter because the water was not within its margin of tolerance”, explained the marine geologist, who added that many of these species enter through Suez Canal, but they also arrive through the Strait of Gibraltar. In the meantime, native species remain “in a kind of cul-de-sac, a trap with no way out” and there is also a process of “deborealization”: “the species that come from the tropics are imposing themselves and those from boreal affinity are becoming rarer until they disappear,” explained Canals. At this point, Marrasé pointed out: “These migrations occur in living beings and also in men. Part of the migrations we have from south to north are people fleeing the drought. If we continue like this, it is possible that our descendants are migrating through the same”.
Slow down the heating
The marine biologist believes that the key to stopping the warming of the Mediterranean is to lower emissions by reducing energy expenditure. “It’s not about plastic or paper, everything that is single-use should be avoided,” he said encouraging reuse to avoid generating waste and emissions. He also referred to overfishing, which he believes should be “rationalized”.
On the other hand, faced with the possibility of banning trawling, Canals has advocated for “freedom for everyone” and has defended the “social and traditional component” of fishing in the Mediterranean. However, he added that “in the Mediterranean and other places in the world, exploitation thresholds of the fish stock have already been crossed”, and he said that he is not in favor of banning this type of fishing, but of restricting it in some areas to protect biodiversity.
The impact of desalination plants
During the debate, the waste generated by the desalination plants, the brines, was also raised. “What most plants do is dump it into the sea with the idea that because the sea is big and the currents take it all away, it will dissolve and have no impact. That remains to be seen.” warned Canals, who added that it is not his area of specialization, but expressed doubts that these discharges are truly harmless. On this subject, Marrasé has assessed that it is necessary to balance the need for access to drinking water with the waste that can be generated by desalination plants. For her, the key is that “we spend more water than we could spend, as with energy”, and she has called for a reduction in consumption.
