2023-04-18 17:03:50
Europeans were called upon this winter to reduce their electricity consumption by limiting in particular the heating of their homes, while the energy supply was on borrowed time. If the Old Continent did well this winter, another problem awaits: the lack of water and its consequences on agriculture.
Spain without rain is Spain without grain
Due to a prolonged drought, Spain may well be deprived of its wheat and barley crops. “Irreversible damage has been caused to more than 3.5 million hectares of crops“, warned the main association of farmers in the country, COAG, sounding the alarm on a trend which, according to it, is observed in most of the territory.
To assess the situation, the government is to hold a meeting of the national drought control committee on Wednesday, April 19.
“If precipitation does not improve within a few days, production of rainfed crops, especially winter cereals, will be significantly reduced. […] Prospects are not good at all […] If it continues like this, then, logically, the harvest will decrease, and therefore the prices will increase,” warns Sergio Vicente-Serrano, researcher at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology in Zaragoza.
“We must not forget that drought is a characteristic phenomenon of the Mediterranean climate, which is not new, linked to the process of global warming, and which is not a process that we have experienced only in recent decades. he adds. “But the problem is that in recent years we have also suffered from a lack of rainfall […] against the background of a noticeable increase in temperatures“he observes.
Winter and summer drought in Europe
Other European countries are also facing this problem. A map of current droughts in Europe, compiled by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, shows low soil moisture in many southern parts of the continent in January.
“Normally, especially in southern European countries, we expect rain in autumn and winter. This has not been the case this year for many of these countries. So we are about to enter the agricultural season, the growing season, with very low soil moisture.“explains Samantha Burgess, Associate Director of Copernicus.
“Many energy resources depend on water, such as the coolant for nuclear power plants in France, or rivers for hydroelectricity. This is also a challenge“, she says.
“In France, for example, there have already been water restrictions in February and March. It’s really unusual. We must also develop new technologies that use less water, and seek to recycle as much as possible or reduce our footprint on available water.”
The 2022-2023 winter in France was the driest for 60 years. The Alps, Pyrenees and other French mountain ranges were much less snowy than usual.
In 2022, Italy was also hit hard by drought, with authorities declaring a state of emergency in five regions. Water levels in the Po River (the longest in the country) have dropped and water shortages have affected all sectors, from agriculture to clean energy production. The winter has also been dry and millions of Italians are again at risk of facing restrictions.
The government is developing anational water supply plan” and is preparing an aid program of 7.8 billion euros.
How to counter this new threat?
According to the experts, we have an arsenal of measures that must be implemented immediately, in order to adapt to the situation and prevent it from deteriorating further.
“_We have to learn to live with this lack of rainfall and these episodes of drought. Of course, there are a number of obvious mechanisms, for example, related to demand regulation, reduction of water consumption in cities, to improving the quality of irrigated land”_suggests Sergio Vicente-Serrano.
“But we also have the possibility of using the areas located at the top of the mountains, because it is in the mountains, in the Mediterranean region, that the main source of humidity is found.“, he explains.
“We will consider adapting more to crops that require less water“, suggère Samantha Burgess. “We will use energy sources that are not so dependent on high water levels in rivers or lakes. […] The reality is that if we don’t stop emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, climate change will increase. […] We know that Europe as a region is warming faster than other parts of the world […] So if we already know in advance that we are more likely to have droughts, and that those droughts are likely to be more intense, then we need to change our behavior to make sure we can reduce our consumption of water and save it.”
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