A new wave of refugees will be forced to seek a safe haven as a result of global warming in the Middle East and North Africa, German climate researcher Jos Lelieveld said Tuesday. According to Lelieveld, if global warming is not stopped, the average temperature in the region could rise by 6 degrees in summer. By comparison, at the climate conference, countries pledged to stop global warming at 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. Parts of Syria and Iraq had experienced a bad drought this year, causing massive crop declines and food prices to rise. Increasing rainfall in the tropics of Asia would be offset in the future by less rainfall in the subtropical Middle East and North Africa, Lelieveld said.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 21, 2021 19:36 UTC