Turtles offer early warning from a warming Mediterranean ahead of COP31

Turkey hosts the COP31 climate summit in November Loggerhead turtle is climate summit's mascot Rising temperatures disrupt turtle biology, research shows Fishing gear and plastic pollution are also hazards By Daren Butler and Bulent Usta IZTUZU BEACH, Turkey, Oct 16 (Reuters) — Under a moonlit sky, turtle hatchlings emerge from the sand on Turkey's Mediterranean coast and scramble towards the sea, taking part in an ancient natural cycle that scientists say is increasingly being shaped by climate change. Throughout the night, sea turtle biologist Yakup Kaska and his team of volunteers monitor activity in the nests. Pyramid-shaped cages protect the eggs buried in the sand from foxes that roam the 4-km (2.5-mile) Iztuzu sandbar, a tourist beach by day and haven for turtle conservation by night. The loggerhead turtle, which nests on shores across the Mediterranean, is the mascot of COP31, the annual UN climate summit that Turkey hosts next month. Marine conservation will be a key focus of the gathering along the coast in Antalya. Researchers say the turtle illustrates how climate change is altering ecosystems in the Mediterranean, which has experienced a long-term warming trend since t