Why Spain is turning into a desert

[Gallop]

Gallop through the province of Seville on a rainy morning towards an uncertain destination.

[Incal]

Italy is endangered too, it's an endemic problem throughout Southern Europe.

Use the power of Googling.

Sometimes I get the feeling this dude is one of those "italians" who post from Australia.

[Juan Lacas]

The UN estimates that 74 percent of Spain is in the process of desertification. The regions Almeria, Valencia, and Andalusia are the most vulnerable. If left unchecked, by 2100, most of the southern half of Spain will be desert.

I don't believe any of this, especially knowing that in the last 30 years the forest area in Spain has been increasing at a rate of 1% per year, making it the European country with the greatest growth in forest area:
España, el país de Europa que más incrementa su superficie forestal

[Autrigón]

It seems is a world problem, read this Blondies thread about Hungary one year ago.

https://www.theapricity.com/forum/sh...ecame-a-desert

It's not a secret that even in Scandinavia and Russia winters are hotter than in previous decades. The world is fucked, who cares, in 2100 all of us on this forum will be dead.

[renaissance12]

Really? Do you know the Accona desert?




Sierra de Grazalema, Cadiz:


Sierra Nevada, Granada:


La Alpujarra, Granada and Almería:


Sierra de las Nieves, Malaga:


Sierra de Aracena, Huelva:


Sierra España, Murcia:


All of these sites are precisely in South Spain, the driest area of Spain; Imagine what there must be in Central and North Spain.

"Casually" Italy has 871 protected natural áreas... and Spain 10 more, 881.

The ACCONA desert ( Italy Toscana ) is called a desert not because it does not receive enough rain (800-900 mm per year) but because the terrain does not allow the growth of much vegetation.

Obviously there are dry areas in summer in Sicily and Puglia but for now they are not a desert.

Calabria, on the other hand, is not dry even in summer due to the storms that form locally in the mountains (it is almost entirely mountainous).

However, with google maps you can clearly see that a large part of southern Spain is much drier than southern Italy. ..

[Gallop]

Don't panic, it's a desert area rather than a desert proper.



Portraits of young people living in the "desert" of Almeria

We visited the remote villages of the Tabernas Desert to photograph their inhabitants and ask them to tell us what life is like there.

Manuel, 28 years old. Lives in Tahal

VICE: Hi Manuel, what do you do?
Manuel: I came to work as a Tourism Promoter in the town hall. Above all, I try to organize cultural activities for children and the elderly.

So you're not from here?
No, I'm from Almeria. I arrived in June.

Do you miss the city?
I don't miss the city itself. Family is missed the most. But hey, it's very good here. The people are very involved in everything and they have welcomed me great. It's like a big family. In winter there are about 50 or 60 inhabitants, but for example Christmas Eve is celebrated as a whole and we put on a pretty cool Halloween party in the castle of the village which is very beautiful. Last year I already participated and this year I'm going to have to dress up. The truth is that it works very well and a lot of people come from outside.

Do you go to Almeria a lot? How do you move between town and city?
I have a car. Here it is almost essential because the transport network is very bad. I think a bus goes by at 7:30 in the morning. If you

Virginia, 25 years old. Tabernas

VICE: Hi Virginia, how do you young people at Tabernas do it on the weekends?
Virginia: Here in Tabernas there is a pub that in summer is quite crowded. In winter there are very few people and those of us who stay, what we do is get together at a friend's house or in garages, the typical thing (laughs). I have a group of lifelong friends and we're not much of a party person, we usually meet for dinner and then play board games and stuff like that.

Have you ever lived in a big city? Do you miss it?
I lived in Almeria because I had to go there to study. And, well, the truth is that I do miss it a little. In the future I would like to live in Madrid or in a bigger city. Here I sometimes feel a bit isolated. Especially on rainy days in winter.

How are you doing when it comes to buying clothes?
There are small shops here, but being in the village it is all twice as expensive. What we do is go to Almeria and shop there.

And how do you go to Almeria?
I don't have a car, but Since my family is a baker, we have a few vans. We also have a car, my uncle's, which the whole family uses. We have to organize ourselves so that we can all do our own thing.

Almudena, 19 years old. Tabernas

VICE: You're the youngest in this article. What do you do?
Almudena: I'm studying. Tomorrow I'm going to Granada to study photography.

Wow, are you sad to leave town?
Man, on the one hand I really want to get out of here and live the adventure. It's going to be the first time I've lived in a big city and I'm alone, it's very exciting. On the other hand, I leave my friends and family here, which also makes me sad. Although I'm always saying that I want to leave, the truth is that I have a lot of affection for the town. It is the town that is furthest from the capital, in the middle of the desert, you depend a lot on the car but the truth is that life is very good here.

Do you drive?
Yes, I've had a license since I was 18 years old. It was almost the first thing I did after fulfilling them.

Diego, 29. Live in Taverns


VICE: Hi Diego. How do you see the future of Tabernas?
I wouldn't like to leave the village because I think that if the young people from the small towns who want to set up cultural or business initiatives all go to the capitals, in the end the town will die. I think that Tabernas continues to endure because there are many young people who are betting on the town, such as opening businesses. I'm still here giving the theatre workshop and as long as I can I'll continue to do it. Although I earn more money working at the University of Almeria where I direct the Theatre Classroom.

In other words, you live a bit between the two places.
Yes. I have a house in Almeria but I spend about half the week here. The days I'm in Tabernas are very quiet: I live at my parents' house, I make village plans with my usual friends, I go out for some tapas or I go to some cultural activity of the town hall and little else.

Do you know a lot of people your age who have left?
Yes, right. I have studied Audiovisual Communication and Dramatic Art and I have many friends who are in Madrid. Although they haven't actually done very well there either. Many are out of work or are working as clerks at Decathlon or Burger King. I'm here and I have my own work, I have my salary and when I want to go to Madrid to see theatre or whatever, I go. Sometimes leaving is a mistake.

Can't get enough of driving up and down all day?
I travel a lot by car and the truth is that I hate it. I wish I never drove. Why do I take the car? Well, because the bus is incompatible with my schedules and those of almost everyone. You call me from Barcelona, don't you?

Yes.
Well, there or in Madrid or Malaga where I was studying, the villages are very well connected with commuter trains, but here in Almeria it is terrible. The villages are very close to the capital but very poorly connected because the transport service is very bad. It's also a vicious cycle. As the transport is very bad, no one uses it and so there are fewer and fewer frequencies... In Madrid or Barcelona it is not even necessary to have a driver's license and here it is already essential.

David, 21 years old. Senés


VICE: Have you always lived in Senés?
David: No, it doesn't. I used to live in Adra, which is a much bigger town. I have been living in Senés for 4 years. It was a change to move, but I lived it calmly. I don't feel like living in a bigger city either, I'm fine here, although I do go to Almeria a lot.

How do you get there?
Since I don't have a car, I have to take the bus, I have to manage like that. But you have to get out of town from time to time. Since there are so few of us, we can't organize ourselves to go up and down.

Oxana, 36 years old. Tahal


VICE: Where are you from?
From Russia.

How did you end up in Tahal?
Well, because I married a Spaniard and when he was moved here to live, I came with him. He was working in the office of a bank that was here, although after closing it he now works in Almeria.

What do you do?
I work in a company run by the city council where we do various things. Today we are on a construction site, but we are also going to clean streets or things more related to the countryside. I can't tell you much more because it's my first day.

Wow, an important day! And how do you cope living in such a small town?
I like living in the village. There are very few people here, but I have my animals that keep me company. But for a young person, I don't know... In summer there is still movement, especially on weekends, but in winter there are very few people and fewer and fewer.

Did you also live in a village in your country?
No, I lived in a big city. But really the only way to adapt here is if you like the countryside. If so, it's easy to adapt. I adapted very well. Anyway, once a week I go down to Almeria by car, that also makes me get along a little better living here. There are other people who don't have a car and have it worse. There are people who come and end up leaving.

Do you think that the internet can also help you, for example, when it comes to buying things?
Yes, but I love shopping anyway (laughs). I'm addicted to clothes and every week I have to go shopping in Almeria. Now maybe with work I won't be able to go as much.

https://www.vice.com/es/article/8x8g...o-almeria-vida

[Gredos]

There is nothing like that in south Italy.. and the latitude is the same..

Spain is like a minicontinent with all the landscapes in the world, do not compare it with a handful of Mediterranean provinces

https://x.com/wallstwolverine/status...51371761668504

[renaissance12]

Spain is like a minicontinent with all the landscapes in the world, do not compare it with a handful of Mediterranean provinces

https://x.com/wallstwolverine/status...51371761668504

You are almost right, but you cannot deny that in southern Spain many areas are semi-desert like in no other European country.


Rain fall in Europe per year



Where I live ( Asiago Vicenza Veneto Italy ) the annual precipitation is close to 2.000 mm ... particularly in summer ( local Storms )



150 km from where I live... at the mouth of the Po river there is one of the driest areas in Italy... I don't know why (less than 400 mm of rain per year)..But the lack of rain in the areas of the PO river delta is not a problem because it is the most humid area in Italy due to the many rivers and canals.

River PO delta Adriatic sea..

[Colonel Frank Grimes]

You are almost right, but you cannot deny that in southern Spain many areas are semi-desert

How can he be 'almost right' when you showed what he said was correct? You're one of the dumbest posters on this forum. You're so contrarian that you ironically even contradict yourself.

[Colonel Frank Grimes]

Sometimes I get the feeling this dude is one of those "italians" who post from Australia.

This guy is one of the oldest posters on the forum (came of age in the 70s). I initially thought he was around 20 because he was so lost.