Europe is struggling with a precarious water situation ahead of another drought-riven summer.
- Water resources in Europe are growing increasingly scarce because of the deepening climate emergency.
- Reservoirs in Mediterranean countries like Italy have fallen to water levels typically associated with summer heatwaves in recent weeks.
- It comes as temperatures are poised to climb through summer and many fear Europe’s already “very precarious” water problem could get even worse.
European policymakers are battling to get to grips with a growing water crisis ahead of what researchers fear could be yet another climate crisis-fueled summer of drought.
Water resources in Europe are growing increasingly scarce because of the deepening climate emergency, with record-breaking temperatures through spring and a historic winter heatwave taking a visible toll on the region’s rivers and ski slopes.
It comes as temperatures are poised to climb through summer and many fear Europe’s already “very precarious” water problem could get even worse.
Satellite data analyzed by researchers from Austria’s University of Graz at the start of the year found that drought was impacting Europe on a much larger scale than researchers had previously expected.
The study was published after European Union researchers found that Europe experienced its hottest summer ever last year, with the intense drought thought to be the worst the region had seen in at least 500 years.
Researchers at the University of Graz said Europe had been suffering from a severe drought since 2018, with the effects becoming clear last year as receding waters wreaked havoc for food and energy production, while numerous aquatic species lost their habitats.
“We are actually getting problems with the water supply here—we have to think about this.”
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