ABSTRACT
Mediterranean Europe is acknowledged as a climate change hot-spot (Giorgi 2006), meaning that the climatic and weather evolution forecast under the different scenarios hypothesized by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) have become a reality. Summer seasons in southern European countries are hotter and drier, characterised by greater uncertainty in terms of temperature and precipitation patterns. The effects of climate
change are evident in the increased risks of extreme events, such as droughts and fl oods, and a growing reduction in quality water resources. The former are occurring more frequently in territories traditionally endowed with abundant water resources, while the latter is mainly affecting areas with pre-existing systemic water scarcity.
