Mediterranean’s vital seagrass may lose 20% by century’s end

Up to one-fifth of the Mediterranean’s seagrass meadows could vanish by 2100, scientists warn. That loss would wipe out an underwater habitat roughly the size of the island of Rhodes. The main driver is climate change. Rising sea temperatures are fueling more frequent and intense marine heatwaves, which damage the plants that anchor the region’s coastal ecosystem. Seagrass meadows are often called the “lungs of the sea” because they produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. They also serve as nurseries for fish and protect coastlines from erosion. Their decline would ripple through the entire food chain, affecting local fishing and tourism. Researchers say urgent cuts to greenhouse gas emissions are needed to slow the warming that triggers these deadly heat spikes.