Middle East heating almost twice as fast as global average, report warnsTemperatures predicted to rise up to 5ºC by end of century, causing severe droughts, dust storms; UN climate summit in Cairo scheduled for NovemberNICOSIA, Cyprus — The eastern Mediterranean and Middle East are warming almost twice as fast as the global average, with temperatures projected to rise up to five degrees Celsius (nine degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century if no action is taken to reverse the trend, a new report says.The eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East are more susceptible to warming trends because of their unique natural characteristics, like large desert expanses and lower water levels, the study said.The report was prepared by an international group of scientists overseen by The Cyprus Institute’s Climate and Atmosphere Research Center and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry.Originally published in June in the journal Reviews of Geophysics, it aims to underscore the impact of climate change in the region ahead of the United Nations climate summit in Egypt this November.The region’s most vulnerable groups, including the elderly, children and pregnant people, will face major health challenges, said Max Planck Institute Director Jos Lelieveld, who was part of the study."