Climate Change: A Powerful Engine for Economic Transformation in Montenegro

Abstract

Climate monitoring and assessments show that Montenegro has already been affected by global changes. Climate risks are rated as high to medium and include floods, landslides, wildfires, earthquakes, extreme heat and water scarcity. Moreover, the most vulnerable economic sectors that can expect to suffer the negative impacts of climate change in Montenegro include human health, tourism, agriculture, water use and other natural resource sectors. When it comes to vulnerability and the negative effects of climate change, results from observations in the period 1949–2020 show that average annual temperature values, especially over the last 20 years, have increased from 8.6 °C to 9.94 °C. Estimates of climate projections indicate that the annual temperature throughout Montenegro will increase by between 1.5 °C and 2 °C by 2040. In addition, the average annual amount of rainfall is forecast to decrease, especially during the summer months, while there is expected to be a rainfall increase over the winter months in some parts of the country, particularly towards the north.