4 hours ago
A boat in a dried up lake in France
Europe is experiencing its worst drought in 500 years, with warnings issued in various forms covering regarding two-thirds of the continent.
The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory said 47 percent of the continent was on “alert” status, meaning the soil had dried up. He also noted that another 17 percent of Europe’s area is on alert, which means vegetation is “showing signs of stress”.
The report warns that the drought will affect agricultural crops and lead to wildfires, and that it may last for several more months in some southern regions of Europe.
Compared to the average of the past five years, the EU’s harvest forecast has fallen by 16 percent for corn and 15 percent for soybeans.
The Drought Observatory is part of the European Commission’s research wing, which warned that preliminary data indicated that “the current drought appears to be the worst in at least 500 years”.
Research Commissioner Maria Gabriel said the current heat wave and water shortages “have created unprecedented pressure on water levels in the entire European Union”.
“We are currently observing a significantly higher-than-average wildfire season and a significant impact on crop production. Climate change is undoubtedly becoming more and more evident every year,” she added.
The report warned that all of Europe’s rivers had dried up to some extent.
Besides the obvious impact on boats, the drying up of rivers has also affected the energy sector, which is already facing a crisis. According to the report, hydropower production has fallen by a whopping 20 percent.
Many areas experienced “severe drought” throughout the year, but it “extended and worsened since the beginning of August.” The drought is likely to continue until at least November of this year.
The report warns that the situation is getting worse in countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Hungary, northern Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Ireland and Britain.
The warning came in the wake of a rapid decline in river levels across Europe, which revealed submerged ruins, including shipwrecks dating back to the Second World War.
