Neom - Saudi Arabia

19-20 de February

Saudi Arabia is home to the world's largest continuous sand desert, and has one of the highest levels of water stress on the planet. Off its coasts lie the coral reefs of the Red Sea, an ecosystem threatened by global warming and plastic pollution.

The coral reefs of the Red Sea off the Saudi coast are both a paradigm of climate resilience and a jewel that global warming and marine pollution threaten to weaken and alter. For this reason, it is essential to raise civil and governmental awareness about the preservation and restoration of these marine ecosystems.

In desert ecosystems, more water evaporates from the soil than the one that is replaced by precipitation. Rising temperatures and water scarcity threaten the region's biodiversity.

Deserts are characterised by extremely harsh conditions, water scarcity and arid landscapes. The climate crisis demands solutions from society to protect ecosystems and halt desertification.

- PROBLEM: Rising temperatures and more frequent periods of drought alongside deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable use of scarce resources such as water are the main causes of desertification.

According to the UN, more than 24 billion tonnes of productive land become barren every year, and water availability in some dry regions is expected to decrease by 10-30 % over the next few decades. In other words, 2.4 billion people will suffer water shortages.

Meanwhile, coral reefs, like those in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia, are at risk of collapse due to rising sea temperatures and pollution from human activities. Nonetheless, this ecosystem is an example of natural resilience to climate change, and an important source of ecosystem services for humans.

- SOLUTION: Alongside Extreme E, we want to raise public awareness of the consequences of desertification and the deterioration of marine ecosystems like the Red Sea's coral reefs. We will work with local and international experts on projects to preserve ecosystems affected by climate change.

Sardinia - Italy

06-07 of July

Islands, such as Sardinia in Italy, are suffering the consequences of rising temperatures and heat waves on their ecosystems. The loss of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and forest fires are two clear examples.

Rising temperatures, more intense heat waves and forest fires are affecting every continent. The devastating fires of the summer of 2021 are all too memorable for the people of Italy. According to Extreme E, in 2021, fires "blazed through 20,000 hectares of land, displaced over 1,000 people and killed around 30 million bees".

The spread of fires is closely linked to phenomena such as drought and desertification. Fires also contribute to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide, one of the gases responsible for the global warming, into the atmosphere. Did you know that forests absorb 7.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide globally?

On the other hand, the Posidonia oceanica seagrass bed ecosystems around Sardinia are also threatened by global warming. Seagrass beds are capable of capturing 10 % of oceanic carbon, so protecting these ecosystems is vital in order to combat the climate crisis.

- THE PROBLEM: The climate crisis doesn't just affect remote areas. It affects us all. In recent months, regions such as Sardinia have experienced intense heat waves and forest fires, which are endangering the island's ecosystems. However, there is a clear pathway that we can take to reduce the intensity of extreme weather events and to put an end to global warming: we must cut carbon emissions, accelerate the energy transition and implement a circular economy model.

- SOLUTIONS: In this second season, Extreme E is continuing to monitor the green and blue carbon projects that were launched in 2021 that they are working on together with the MEDSEA Foundation (Mediterranean Sea and Coast Foundation). The organisation will help support the restoration of forests affected by the forest fires in Italy and the replanting of seagrass beds in the protected areas surrounding Sardinia.

Sardinia - Italy

09-10 of July

Islands, such as Sardinia in Italy, are suffering the consequences of rising temperatures and heat waves on their ecosystems. The loss of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and forest fires are two clear examples.

Rising temperatures, more intense heat waves and forest fires are affecting every continent. The devastating fires of the summer of 2021 are all too memorable for the people of Italy. According to Extreme E, in 2021, fires "blazed through 20,000 hectares of land, displaced over 1,000 people and killed around 30 million bees".

The spread of fires is closely linked to phenomena such as drought and desertification. Fires also contribute to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide, one of the gases responsible for the global warming, into the atmosphere. Did you know that forests absorb 7.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide globally?

On the other hand, the Posidonia oceanica seagrass bed ecosystems around Sardinia are also threatened by global warming. Seagrass beds are capable of capturing 10 % of oceanic carbon, so protecting these ecosystems is vital in order to combat the climate crisis.

- THE PROBLEM: The climate crisis doesn't just affect remote areas. It affects us all. In recent months, regions such as Sardinia have experienced intense heat waves and forest fires, which are endangering the island's ecosystems. However, there is a clear pathway that we can take to reduce the intensity of extreme weather events and to put an end to global warming: we must cut carbon emissions, accelerate the energy transition and implement a circular economy model.

- SOLUTIONS: In this second season, Extreme E is continuing to monitor the green and blue carbon projects that were launched in 2021 that they are working on together with the MEDSEA Foundation (Mediterranean Sea and Coast Foundation). The organisation will help support the restoration of forests affected by the forest fires in Italy and the replanting of seagrass beds in the protected areas surrounding Sardinia.

Punta del Este - Uruguay 

26-27 of November

Ocean ecosystems are vital to the future of all Earth's species. Oceans are the planet's largest lung and are home to millions of species that make it possible for humanity to thrive. Climate change poses a challenge to marine conservation and requires a drive towards clean and efficient technologies to help mitigate it.

The final race of the second season of Extreme E, the Energy X Prix, will take place in the Uruguayan city of Punta del Este, an enclave on the Atlantic coast characterised by an abundance of natural resources that lend themselves well to activities such as tourism and fishing.

Uruguay's inevitable relationship with the sea, as well as with agricultural production, demands us to look at climate change and its effects with a resolve to act as soon as possible. As Extreme E points out, "Uruguay is vulnerable to a list of climate risks that includes droughts, floods, high temperatures, and heat waves and storms".

As such, the final grand prize of the year seeks to shake people's consciences regarding the importance of promoting marine protection measures, developing renewable energies and driving further electrification.

- THE PROBLEM: The climate crisis is a global phenomenon that calls for, among other measures, the development of renewable technologies that displace fossil fuels, projects that seek to eliminate plastics and microplastics, more sustainable forms of fishing and tourism, and a healthier relationship between humans and oceans, which, in short, will allow for a future.

According to the Extreme E organisation, the Atlantic waters lapping Uruguay's shoreline make up "one of the most productive aquatic systems in the world, a natural habitat and a migratory route for whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, fish and seabirds, including vulnerable species that are under threat and critically endangered". All of this is in addition to the fact that they harbour coral reefs and other ecosystems that are home to species such as sharks, prawns or squid.

- SOLUTIONS: On this occasion, the racing teams will collaborate with the Organization for the Cetacean Conservation to raise awareness of their work to conserve Uruguay's marine ecosystem, promote responsible nature tourism and protect the environment of coastal communities.

ANTOFAGASTA — CHILE

24-25 September

The impact of global warming means that desert ecosystems like the one found in Chile's Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth, are facing serious threats to the survival of their biodiversity.

Endemic species existing in this unique ecosystem, which is the only one of its kind, are endangered and environmental protection measures are urgently needed.

Without biodiversity, there is no future. The rich desert ecosystems of Atacama, which is one of the most fascinating deserts on the planet, are threatened by the climate crisis. The new conditions being seen due to man-made change mean that the species of flora and fauna that inhabit this ecosystem in their thousands, many of which are endemic, are faced with the challenge of either adapting or disappearing.

This is the case of the Loa frog, a micro-endemic amphibian (meaning that it lives in only one small place — the Chilean sector of Las Vertientes, Calama, Antofagasta). The stream previously inhabited by this frog dried up in 2019, leaving just 14 frogs, which were rescued to stop them from going extinct.

It is vitally important that we continue to raise awareness about respecting our environment — not just to mitigate the impact humans have on the environment but to remedy the effects of this impact and, ultimately, generate a positive impact that allows for continued, sustainable balance in the ecosystem. The example of protecting and reintroducing the Loa frog illustrates this aim perfectly.

- THE PROBLEM: Climate change is challenging the survival and balance of the ecosystem in the Atacama Desert, where thousands of endemic species are trying to adapt to a new climate reality. This is the case of the Loa frog, a native species on the verge of extinction that is now in a breeding programme coordinated by the Chilean National Zoo in Santiago to protect and reintroduce the species into its natural ecosystem.

- SOLUTIONS: The organisation Extreme E is to work with Chilean institutions such as the Museum of Natural and Cultural History of the Atacama Desert with the aim of boosting the protection and reintroduction of the Loa frog in an area near Calama. This work is being carried out in parallel with the rehabilitation and breeding programme led by the Chilean National Zoo, which has already yielded some positive results with the birth of 200 tadpoles.