Europe facing its worst drought in 500 years: EU agency
bynewsinfo—0
The August report of the European Drought Observatory said 47 percent of Europe is under warning conditions, with clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17 percent in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected.
Water scarcity in Europe is affecting lives and businesses across the continent.
(Reuters)
Europe is facing its worst
drought in at least 500 years, with two-thirds of the continent
in a state of alert or warning, reducing inland shipping,
electricity production and the yields of certain crops, a
European Union agency has said.
The August report of the European Drought Observatory (EDO),
overseen by the European Commission, said on Tuesday 47 percent of Europe is under warning conditions, with clear deficit of soil moisture, and 17 percent in a state of alert, in which vegetation is affected.
"The severe drought affecting many regions of Europe since
the beginning of the year has been further expanding and
worsening as of early August," the report said, adding that the
western Europe-Mediterranean region was likely to experience
warmer and drier than normal conditions until November.
Much of Europe has faced weeks of baking temperatures this
summer, which worsened the drought, caused wildfires, set off
health warnings, and prompted calls for more action to tackle
climate change.
READ MORE:Europe broils as heatwave shatters temperature records
The current drought appeared to be the worst in at least 500
years, assuming final data at the end of the season confirmed
the preliminary assessment, the Commission said in a statement.
Summer crops have suffered, with 2022 yields for grain maize
set to be 16 percent below the average of the previous five years and
soybean and sunflowers yields set to fall by 15 percent and 12 percent respectively.
Hydropower generation has been hit, with further impact on
other power producers due to a shortage of water to feed cooling
systems.
Low water levels have hampered inland shipping, such as
along the Rhine, with reduced shipping loads affecting coal and
oil transport.
The EDO said mid-August rainfall may have alleviated
conditions, but in some cases it had come with thunderstorms
that caused further damage.
The observatory's drought indicator is derived from
measurements of precipitation, soil moisture and the fraction of
solar radiation absorbed by plants for photosynthesis.
READ MORE:Europe suffers record wildfire destruction this year: Data
Source: Reuters
إرسال تعليق