Il Mar Mediterraneo tra pressione antropica e impatto del cambiamento climatico

The Mediterranean Sea is in a state of strong environmental degradation and is subject to a profound transformation phase. Global warming is causing a rapid rise in sea temperature, while higher CO2 concentrations are altering the chemical composition of marine waters. These factors, associated with other forms of human pressure, risk weakening the ecological resilience of marine and coastal ecosystems with serious repercussions on both natural and socio-economic systems. The chapter aims to analyze some of the effects that anthropogenic disturbance has on Mediterranean marine and coastal ecosystems. These threats impose the transition towards a new economic paradigm based on the principles of sustainability. Promoting sustainable growth is crucial to support the economic activities that found their existence on the sea, but also to guarantee those ecosystem services which, while not involving market transactions, contribute substantially to human well-being.