A new report claims that Europe is facing the worst drought in 500 years and that two-thirds of the continent is in a state of warning.
According to the August report from the European Drought Observatory (EDO), 47% of Europe is experiencing warning conditions with a clear soil moisture deficit, and 17% is experiencing alert conditions with impacted vegetation. The report also said that the Western part of Europe can face extremely warm weather till the end of November.
The report said, “The severe drought affected many regions of Europe since the beginning of the year has been further expanding and worsening as of early August.”
In the event that the final data at the end of the season support the preliminary assessment, the commission stated that the drought appeared to be the worst in at least 500 years.
The heat has aggravated what could be the worst drought in all of history
This summer, a large portion of Europe experienced weeks of oppressive heat, which aggravated the drought, sparked wildfires, prompted health alerts, and increased calls for climate change mitigation. It is clear from the fact that the production of grain mazes and soybeans, two important summer crops, has decreased by 16 and 15%, respectively. The decrease has taken place all across Europe as a result of the soil’s lack of moisture.
Since there isn’t enough water to provide cooling systems, hydropower production has been impacted, which also affects other power producers.
There is also “unprecedented stress on water level across the EU”
“The combination of a severe drought and heatwaves has created unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU. We are currently noticing a wildfire season sensibly above the average and an important impact on crop production,” said European Innovation Commissioner, Mariya Gabriel.
This week, Britain’s national drought group declared that it was carefully managing the water resources. “There is, however, a need to continue to manage water resources carefully over the coming weeks and months to ensure that the needs of the public, farmers and industry, and nature and wildlife are met,” they said.