Bulgaria is among the places in the world that are most severely affected by climate change, said Kristian Panayotov, an expert in sustainable development and natural resource management at the Institute for Climate, Atmosphere and Water Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
He pointed out that extreme conditions are determined by an air temperature of 40 degrees and above with humidity below 30 percent. One such day can be tolerated by people and plants, but the prolonged retention of these indicators creates a serious risk.
When this continues for 19 days, it is very dangerous for all living things in this territory.According to Panayotov, 19 consecutive days with similar conditions were recorded in 2024 in the Northwestern region. He defined the period as a record.
“We can boldly call 2024 the warmest and most abnormal year in the last 10 years“, said the expert.
Drought remains the main risk
Prolonged droughts are among the biggest threats related to climate change, Panayotov pointed out. He added that the danger is not limited to high temperatures and also includes other extreme phenomena, including early spring frosts.
The consequences are already being felt in agriculture. According to the expert, in 2024 and 2025, the harvest of cherries and other fruit species was severely affected.
In 2024 and 2025, we did not eat cherries, we had nothing from the fruit trees.Panayotov commented on climate risks on the air of Bulgaria ON AIR and Money.bg.
Sources: Focus, Bulgaria ON AIR, Money.bg