Delta blues: why estuaries are the canaries in the climate crisis coalmine

These fragile ecosystems are where the impacts of the climate crisis are often felt first, say experts

The Ebro delta appears to be in robust health, to a casual observer. There is water gurgling in the canals and irrigation channels, and what appears to be a mighty river flowing into the sea. The dazzling green rice fields are dotted with ibis, egrets and redshanks.

However, all is not what it seems. The Ebro, the only one of Spain's three great rivers that flows into the Mediterranean, is one of the most abused and exploited in Europe.