Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Introduction -- pt. 2. The issues : socio-economic impacts, vulnerability and adaptation -- pt. 3. Climate change and Mediterranean water resources -- pt. 4. Climate change and Mediterranean land uses -- pt. 5. Climate change and Mediterranean coastal areas.

The book begins with a broad global overview of the probable economic and social consequences of climate change. The authors then focus on the issue of water resources and assess a range of potential problems such as increasing droughts, adequate irrigation, reduced water quality and population migration due to severe shortages. They move on to examine issues surrounding land use including desertification, degradation, agriculture and waste management. Finally, they investigate the coastal zones of the Mediterranean which are economically vulnerable to variations in climate due to their reliance on tourism. The book integrates methodological and empirical issues, provides interdisciplinary analyses of the effects of climate change and explores policy implications for the future.