A Palestinian vendor selling cold juice, in a region where dry soil and little tree cover are amplifying rising temperatures. A populous region encompassing the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean has become a climate hot spot, with temperatures in recent years rising almost twice as fast as the global average, according to a new analysis of historical climate data and current observations. The sun-scorched region, which spans more than a dozen countries with a collective population exceeding 400 million, has warmed at a rate of 0.81 degree Fahrenheit (0.45 degree Celsius) each decade since 1981, the analysis showed. The per-decade global average rose 0.49 degree F (0.27 degree C) in the same time frame. Temperatures in the region have risen faster than in Europe, North America and other highly populous parts of the globe. “A hot and arid region is getting even more arid and more hot, and […]