The Word Meteorological Organization (WMO) has stated that climate change is making cold waves and waterspouts more intense and frequent due to rising sea temperatures and increased humidity in the atmosphere (Climate and Environmental Change in the Mediterranean Basin. Current situation and risks for the future. First Mediterranean assessment report: Summary for policymakers, MedECC).

The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed, shallow sea that is warming faster than the global oceans (by 0.3°C–0.4°C per decade vs. approximately 0.2°C globally).

The accumulated heat injects a large amount of energy that not only causes an increase in the frequency of extreme phenomena such as cold waves and waterspouts but also intensifies their destructive power. Torrential rains, windstorms, long and extreme droughts, fires in abandoned and very dry forests and overflowing rivers causing extensive flooding are some of the phenomena that the Mediterranean area of the peninsula has suffered in the last 5 years.

The Spanish coast is particularly vulnerable to these phenomena due to its geography, mass urbanisation that has made areas that should naturally absorb rainwater impermeable, and the loss of natural vegetation. Coastal overpopulation, overfishing, maritime trade and pollution accelerate climate change.

The disaster experienced on the Valencian coast last week should give us food for thought at all levels. Further progress and improvement in forecasting and warning systems and training in emergency response are some actions that can be implemented immediately.

Experts agree on the need to increase the resilience of coastal areas, studying the necessary infrastructures, creating urban green spaces, identifying the most vulnerable areas and controlling uses with the aim of drawing up medium- and long-term strategic plans (National Climate Change Adaptation Plan 2021–2030, Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge).

The health of the sea has a direct impact on human health and safety. In Mediterranean countries, directly or indirectly, environmental changes influence economic development, food availability, mobility, leisure and recreation and a long list of factors that, in short, mark the quality of life of their inhabitants.