Day: 25 June 2026

Rising sea temperatures linked to climate change are fuelling the spread of Vibrio, popularly known as “flesh-eating bacteria”, across European coastlines, with several beaches in Spain already closed this summer as a precaution. The bacterium, which lives naturally in marine and brackish waters, is of particular concern in the Mediterranean, which scientists regard as one of the regions most vulnerable to global warming, raising questions for a coastline, including the French Riviera, that depends heavily on summer tourism.

Vibrio occurs naturally in seawater, particularly where rivers meet the sea, and according to the European Food Safety Authority can be present in seafood. Certain strains, including Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, can cause illness ranging from gastroenteritis to severe infections contracted through eating raw seafood or through open wounds exposed to seawater. The charity Gavi notes that Vibrio is a relative of the bacterium that causes cholera, though the two produce very different illnesses, and that severe cases can lead to necrotising fasciitis, in which tissue around a wound rapidly breaks down, or to sepsis requiring amputation of the affected limb.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has warned of a heightened risk of Vibrio infections through the summer, particularly during heatwaves and in shallow coastal waters.

A warming sea under pressure

Hatim Aznague, an analyst for projects, climate action and energy resilience at the Union for the Mediterranean, told Euronews that warmer, less saline water, of the kind found near river mouths and lagoons, creates more favourable conditions for pathogenic bacteria to multiply. He said the Mediterranean is among the fastest-warming seas on the planet, and that the bacteria themselves are best understood as a symptom rather than the underlying issue, telling Euronews: “Bacteria are not the story; they are the messengers.”

The European Food Safety Authority has said the prevalence of Vibrio in seafood is expected to increase both globally and in Europe as a result of climate change, particularly in low-salinity waters and estuaries, while antimicrobial resistance detected in some strains adds a further layer of concern for public health.

 

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Photo credit: Marita Mones, Unsplash

 

The Mediterranean is often associated with tranquil seas, but it is not immune to powerful undersea earthquakes and tsunamis. Acknowledging that risk, the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis and six coastal communes have become the first in France to earn UNESCO’s ‘Tsunami Ready’ certification, recognising years of work to strengthen emergency preparedness.

While a tsunami might seem an unlikely threat for the Mediterranean coast, experts suggest otherwise. “There is a near-certain probability—estimated at 100 per cent—that a tsunami reaching a height of at least one metre will strike the Mediterranean basin within the next 30 to 50 years,” said the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. 

With millions of residents and visitors along the Côte d’Azur each year, local authorities are treating the threat as a matter of preparedness rather than probability. The certification recognises efforts to improve warning systems, emergency planning and public awareness to help minimise the impact of any future event.

From risk to readiness

The path to receiving the UNESCO recognition has been a rigorous three-year undertaking. The project, titled EVACTSU (2023–2026), was developed in a strategic partnership between the Metropolis’s public safety agency and geography experts from the University of Montpellier.

The primary objective was to transform the coastline into a landscape of safety. The project team conducted detailed mapping to identify the most vulnerable areas and, crucially, to designate secure refuge sites. The physical transformation of the coast is now visible to any observant passer-by: 800 new tsunami-specific signs have been erected across the shore. These markers do more than warn; they provide clear, easy-to-follow directions on evacuation routes to ensure that in the event of an alert, the move from the beach to higher ground is rapid and organised.

Twelve steps to safety

The ‘Tsunami Ready’ label requires adherence to 12 international standards. To qualify, a municipality must prove it has a complete and accurate map of the risks, a functional 24-hour warning system, and a commitment to a culture of preparedness.

For the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, this involved the execution of regular, full-scale evacuation practice runs. These exercises are designed to test the quick-thinking of public services and the public alike, ensuring that the plans developed on paper are effective in a real-life situation.

A new standard for the Riviera

The official presentation of the label was made on 2nd June at a ceremony in Nice. As the first territory in France to meet these strict international criteria, the Metropolis considers that it has set a new benchmark for coastal safety.

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Photo by Cassandra Tanti