The fertile Mediterranean has sustained great empires for millenniums. But modern development is rapidly turning the cradle of Western civilization into an inhospitable place, its coasts covered in hotels and many of its unique species driven to extinction by environmental degradation and overfishing. Now, climate change, evidenced in higher temperatures and increasing aridity, is adding to the region's challenges. In a four-part series reported from Greece, Turkey, Italy, and Spain, the Monitor examines the pressures that confront the 22 countries and territories that border the storied sea - and how they're responding.