MOSCOW, August 29, Tatyana Pichugina. In recent decades, severe droughts have become more frequent in Europe. Water is in short supply, ecosystems, agriculture and the energy sector are suffering. People's health is at risk. According to scientists, the reasons are climate change and outdated infrastructure.
Climate is giving signals
Severe heat in the south of European countries has exposed a problem that experts have been warning about for many years: a water crisis is coming.
This, for example, was written in 2018 by authors from the Global Water Partnership. As said in the article, moisture shortages are becoming more common in Europe, which negatively affects the economy and people. Thus, from 1978 to 2006, the number of drought-affected areas of the EU increased by 20 percent. Meanwhile, the authorities do not consider the threat significant and do not try to fight it.
Back in 2012, the Joint Research Center of the European Commission noted that vast areas of Spain and Eastern Europe are experiencing a three- and sometimes ten-fold lack of fresh water. Even then, experts called for the development of a new policy in this area.
In France, riots have already occurred in the villages due to lack of tap water, Politico reports. According to the Financial Times, conflicts broke out in Spain between farmers — the largest consumers of fresh water — and environmentalists. Journalists draw attention to the fact that the climate is changing rapidly, and poor management is exacerbating the situation.
The problem affected not only the most arid regions of Europe, but also wet areas such as Germany and Poland. Belgium is experiencing a severe water shortage, where the population density is high and infrastructure is not developed.
European politicians and environmentalists are openly saying that climate change is a threat. And they emphasize: common resources need to be managed more intelligently. However, the situation is changing slowly, although relevant laws are being adopted in Italy and Spain. In France, Emmanuel Macron has initiated a new water management strategy that aims to reduce water consumption by ten percent by the end of the decade. Germany has also developed a large plan for adaptation to moisture deficit until 2050. ratio=»0.721862871927555″ data-crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»433″ data-source-sid=»» class=»lazyload» lazy=»1″ />
In search of trends and causes
Scientists have been observing severe droughts in Europe since the 2000s. From 2015 to 2019, extreme heat affected more than half of the territory. This summer, the elements broke records — in the south, the temperature reached 46 degrees, which caused power outages.
Over the past 40 years, average summer temperatures in the region have risen by two degrees Celsius — much faster than in other parts of the planet. This trend leads to more frequent heatwaves, which in turn increases the risk of wildfires, the researchers said. In the south, in addition, there is a positive feedback — warming causes droughts, moisture evaporation decreases, cloudiness decreases. «photo» data-crop-ratio=»0.562857142857143″ data-crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»338″ data-source-sid=»» class=»lazyload» lazy=»1″ />
Three years in a row — from 2018 to 2020 — in the Netherlands in spring and summer it was very dry. In winter, the balance could not be restored, and water shortages began, write scientists from the Royal Meteorological Institute and Utrecht University. The situation improved only in the spring of 2021, but the consequences, according to experts, could drag on for a long time. Using the example of the Rhine River Basin, the researchers showed that such periods occur on average twice in 30 years, with a rise in average annual temperature of just one degree doubling the frequency of extreme droughts.
According to dataEuropean Observatory of Droughts, at the beginning of August, almost 40 percent of the territory is experiencing a moisture deficit. The specialists of this project calculate a combined index that combines different indicators: the higher it is, the more serious the situation. At risk are the Faroe Islands, Lithuania, Estonia, Armenia. Little better in the Czech Republic, Moldova, Germany.
Scientists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with colleagues from China reconstructedhistory of droughts over the past 300 years and found that the trend began around the 1850s and has intensified in recent decades. This is especially noticeable in Southern and Central Europe.
This year, the region has been experiencing a shortage of water resources since spring. As showed by scientists from the Graz University of Technology, a period of severe drought has continued since 2018, as indicated by low groundwater levels mapped by satellite gravimetry. Rivers become shallow, reservoirs dry up in summer — all this negatively affects nature and people. Aquatic species are losing their habitats, agriculture is suffering, there is a threat of power outages — hydroelectric and nuclear power plants need water.
In addition, intense prolonged heat increases mortality among the population of Europe. Scientists calculate that last summer's heat wave directly or indirectly killed more than 61,000 people. » media-type=»photo» data-crop-ratio=»0.5″ data-crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»300″ data-source-sid=»» class=»lazyload» lazy= «1» />