Spain's climate could become desert-like by 2050, study warns

Spain's Mediterranean climate could turn into a semi-desert one by 2025 due to climate change, according to a study by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC).  

The report also warns that rainfall will decrease by between 14% and 20% by the same year.  

The study attributes this change to the rise in temperature observed between 1973 and 2022, and predicts that the country's climate will become drier and warmer, even "desert-like" in some areas.  

In the case of Barcelona, the prediction is similar, with the climate expected to change from one with mild, dry winters and hot summers to a semi-desert climate with less rainfall.   

The report also warns that the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands could be much more affected by climate change than other Mediterranean regions.