Europe's drought the worst in 500 years

[Hydrogen]

Two-thirds of Europe is under some sort of drought warning, in what is likely the worst such event in 500 years.

The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory says 47% of the continent is in "warning" conditions, meaning soil has dried up.

Another 17% is on alert - meaning vegetation "shows signs of stress".

The report warns that the dry spell will hit crop yields, spark wildfires, and may last several months more in some of Europe's southern regions.

Compared with the average of the previous five years, EU forecasts for harvest are down 16% for grain maize, 15% for soybeans and 12% for sunflowers.

The drought observatory is part of the European Commission's research wing. Responding to it, the Commission warned that preliminary data suggests "the current drought still appears to be the worst since at least 500 years".

The ongoing heatwave and water shortages have "created an unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU", Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said.

"We are currently noticing a wildfire season sensibly above the average and an important impact on crops production. Climate change is undoubtedly more noticeable every year," she added.

The report warned that nearly all of Europe's rivers have dried up to some extent.

Apart from the obvious impact on boats, dry rivers are also hitting the energy sector, which is already in crisis. Hydroelectric power has dropped by a significant 20%, according to the report.

A "severe drought" has been present in many places all year, but "has been further expanding and worsening as of early August" it says. The conditions are likely to last until at least November this year along the European Mediterranean.

The report warns that the situation is worsening in countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Hungary, northern Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Ireland and the UK.

The researchers' stark warning follows rapidly-sinking river levels across Europe which have exposed relics of the past - including so-called "hunger stones" warning of potential famine and the sunken remains of World War Two Nazi ships.

And in the UK, which had an official drought declared in several regions, some trees have turned an autumnal shade of auburn - in what's considered a "false autumn" due to the heat.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62648912

....


500 year drought.

There certainly appears to be an uptick in the amount of doom and gloom being published.

While there are a few metrics and statistics cited here. Most of these published pieces are slim on details. There isn't a narrative published on how we got here. Its portrayed as if this crisis happened virtually overnight. "No one could have predicted this disaster." Even though I remember reading about water shortages in yemen 15 years ago.

There is a long list of events which led to this eventual outcome over the past 50 years. Which could be useful for learning purposes.

To address the issue. We must first defined and comprehend the issue. Somewhere along the way. It seems that people became thoroughly convinced they do not need to understand or define issues to solve them. And so the next few years will certainly be interesting. It will be interesting to see what solutions people come up with.

[1714783804]

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[1714783804]

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[odunybiz]

The report warns that the dry spell will hit crop yields, spark wildfires, and may last several months more in some of Europe's southern regions.

Water is life, it helps in sustaing ecosystems and also for regulating climatic change. It scarcity will definitely cause issues for both aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

While there are a few metrics and statistics cited here. Most of these published pieces are slim on details. There isn't a narrative published on how we got here. Its portrayed as if this crisis happened virtually overnight. "No one could have predicted this disaster." Even though I remember reading about water shortages in yemen 15 years ago.

European Union has been taking some measure to regulate drought in Europe for the past years. This include:

👉Introduction of water framework directives in 2000
👉Putting forward a communication addressing the challenge of water scarcity and drought in 2007
👉Making EU policy paper on adapting to climate change in 2009 and many more

Reference and further reading: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj68c71p-H5AhWF34UKHQNoDbcQFnoECBMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Fenvironment%2Fpubs%2Fpdf%2Ffactsheets%2Fwater_scarcity.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2Ag-vdJBgdzIWb5BDESA6m

There is a long list of events which led to this eventual outcome over the past 50 years. Which could be useful for learning purposes.
To address the issue. We must first defined and comprehend the issue. Somewhere along the way. It seems that people became thoroughly convinced they do not need to understand or define issues to solve them. And so the next few years will certainly be interesting. It will be interesting to see what solutions people come up with.

This is a problem that should be solved by all European citizens. Drought is majorly caused by climatic change. And climatic changes mostly occur due to some human activities. Such activities that could lead to climatic change should be observed and reduced to minimum. Also water conservation should be taken into consideration to avoid excessive waste of the little water available.

[fiulpro]

What should be stressed more is the impact it would have on crops which does need a lot of water and according to the source:

Maize
Soyabean
Sunflower

These crops would be affected the most and thus at the end one can continue to see massive inflation on these with the concerned increase in prices from " the Ukranian war " as well, I do think this is not just a problem of weather but also some people are unable to handle heat and thus heat strokes and etc would be quite common in an area whose temprature was otherwise mild before.

Some ethnicities might also have sevear effect as well, other than that this might change the long term temperature as well, even right now the temperature in the UK was way more than the temperature in Delhi which was shocking.

[Lucius]

I can only say that this year will really be remembered for the really big drought, which started during the winter because in some parts of Europe there was no snow at all, and then it continued with an extremely dry spring, and culminated in a catastrophically dry summer. It is true that many rivers are at record low levels and that some long-hidden secrets have surfaced for the first time since the Second World War, and that agriculture in some countries has been severely affected.

However, this is not something that happened overnight, it is a process that has been going on for at least two decades, as long as I have been following climate change, although the situation with dry years and rising temperatures has intensified in the past 10 years. Considering the war and inflation, the drought could not have come at a worse time because food prices have risen even more.

And how to change things for the better is a question for the whole world, not only for Europe. Some say that it is a natural process, but people with their behavior certainly have a big part in all of this, and if we don't all start to change, we shouldn't expect things to get better.

[TheNineClub]

I am not surprised that people are saying that this caught them by surprise, because otherwise they would admit that they neglected the evidence that has been present for years and downplay the impact humans have and put more emphasis on natural causes. People have a hard time owning up to their mistakes, and this is a big one.

[examplens]

However, this is not something that happened overnight, it is a process that has been going on for at least two decades, as long as I have been following climate change, although the situation with dry years and rising temperatures has intensified in the past 10 years. Considering the war and inflation, the drought could not have come at a worse time because food prices have risen even more.

A long time ago (10-15 years), I read some analyses where there was a lot of talk about water as the most valuable resource. I well remember the author's sentence where he said that wars will be fought over water, not oil or gold. now that seems quite realistic.
although in the not-so-distant past, a slightly wetter period (one month) brought so many problems with water and floods. You probably remember him from our region^Balkan that's why I don't think this is a worrisome problem in the long term. or maybe I'm just too optimistic.

[Kakmakr]

I have not seen a huge increase in the building of Desalination plants across Europe, with the desalination capacity of Europe that has been recently estimated at 8.7 million m3/day, which is around 9% of the global installed capacity. Source : https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC125905/jrc_s3_desalination-final_8.21.pdf

People should realize that "Water Wars" are going to be a real thing in the immediate future and that we should not just rely on rain to be the primary source of water. Large cities should create under ground water storage facilities to supplement their water needs and water tanks should be subsidized by governments to make people self sufficient.   

[davis196]

The drought in Europe is really bad, but the environmentalist "doom&gloom" propaganda is over the top.
Worst drought in 500 years? Who was measuring the levels of drought back in 1522? The Roman Catholic church?
Most of the mainstream media forget to mention that mostly western Europe was hit by the drought. The situation in eastern Europe isn't that catastrophic. The harvest in Europe is going to be bad and the food prices won't be going down anytime soon.
The "wars for water" might happen after 30 or 50 years. The next generation will be witnessing such wars, if we don't do anything about the subject.

[Jiovanni]

"The combination of a severe drought and heatwaves has created an unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU," European Innovation Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said in a statement. "We are currently noticing a wildfires season sensibly above the average and an important impact on crops production."

The Western Europe-Mediterranean region will likely see warmer and drier than usual conditions until November, the report said.

Climate change has made high temperatures and droughts more intense and widespread. And lower nighttime temperatures that typically provide critical relief from the hot days are disappearing as the planet warms.

https://www.c[Suspicious link removed]m/amp/2022/08/23/europe-drought-worst-in-at-least-500-years-eu-report.html

I suspect the above to be the reason for multiple sinking of super yatch and boats at the Mediterranean Sea.

Europe need to take a chill pill on war, there's enough on their plate to be worried about.

[Gyfts]

There are only a few ways that would allow reduction in carbon emissions, again accepting the premise that there even is a causal association between human carbon emissions and rise in global temperatures, which wouldn't entirely destroy the global economy. IMO, nuclear energy seems to be where things should be headed. Not considered a renewable energy source, but the evidence suggests it's the most efficient energy source there is relative to its environmental impact.

Seems every year there are scientists warning of the impending doom of climate change, yet their proposed solutions cannot even create a measurable impact on global temperatures. Why the complaining from the scientific community if they cannot propose level headed solutions that go beyond banning plastic bags and straws.

Electric vehicles don't even have the impact on the climate over the next 50 years that people think they do. Yet they're being pushed by the EU and US as a unilateral solution. I don't suspect these people are serious about finding an actual solution. Crying wolf gets the media attention.

[blue_hurricanger]

The drought in Europe is really bad, but the environmentalist "doom&gloom" propaganda is over the top.
Worst drought in 500 years? Who was measuring the levels of drought back in 1522? The Roman Catholic church?
Most of the mainstream media forget to mention that mostly western Europe was hit by the drought. The situation in eastern Europe isn't that catastrophic. The harvest in Europe is going to be bad and the food prices won't be going down anytime soon.
The "wars for water" might happen after 30 or 50 years. The next generation will be witnessing such wars, if we don't do anything about the subject.

Climate change and global warming are real but I agree with you, environmentalism is a bit over the top with their sensational news with the bogus claim "the worst in xx years". Though I believe the change might differ from how we thought. Before, we used to say it was the developing countries or countries near the Equator that takes the worst of climate change.

But from what I saw, it seems like Temperate countries or developed countries take the worst. Temperate countries see more drought, low water on rivers, and hotter summer. Tropical climate countries have more rains and more floods but it's still manageable with proper floor control. The storm/typhoon is their biggest problem tho. Your vision of the "wars for water" could only happen between developed countries cause developing countries will have plenty of water.

[Lucius]

~snip~
Most of the mainstream media forget to mention that mostly western Europe was hit by the drought. The situation in eastern Europe isn't that catastrophic. The harvest in Europe is going to be bad and the food prices won't be going down anytime soon.

I would disagree with you, although it is debatable what you mean by Eastern Europe? The situation in some parts of the east is perhaps even worse than in the west, but in general it is bad everywhere. Some countries were lucky to receive a large amount of rain in the form of heavy summer showers, but this only eased the drought a little and means little in the larger picture.

I agree that the media likes to exaggerate things, so maybe this drought is the worst in the past 100 years, and how difficult it is will be felt by everyone who will pay very dearly for every agricultural product, or even for the water that we all use in our daily lives.


Source

[Ultegra134]

A few weeks ago I've been reading the news regarding the recent heatwave which struck the UK, it's said to be the worst July since 1935. Yet, there are people who still don't believe in global warming and climate change. The heatwaves and the droughts that are caused are a huge threat to the environment and humans. Firstly, due to the lack of humidity, we're very prone to wildfires, in 2022 alone, it's claimed that more than 660,000 acres of land have been burnt since 1st of January*, surpassing 2017's record by 56%. Secondly, forests are vital for our well-being, due to the oxygen they produce, but also because they're capable of preventing floods.

* Source: https://www.dw.com/en/europe-set-for-record-wildfire-destruction-in-2022/a-62802068


_{UK's drought July 2021-2022}

[dothebeats]

A lot of these extreme weather patterns are being experienced right now. Even us here in the tropics of the Far East usually begin our wet season from the end of May until November, but that shifted to mid-August until late February. Also, the storms that are brewing during the typhoon season are stronger on intensity compared to before. Europe on the other hand, seems to be combatting droights, something that I haven't read for a long time. This general trend on extreme weather patterns kept popping on a lot of countries, and I think it's no longer 'doom and gloom' but rather a harsh reality that is slowly creeping in before us. When you say 'drought in Europe' that is something that I can only read on literary classics. If it's happening now then that's a scary thing.

[Theones]

A lot of these extreme weather patterns are being experienced right now. Even us here in the tropics of the Far East usually begin our wet season from the end of May until November, but that shifted to mid-August until late February. Also, the storms that are brewing during the typhoon season are stronger on intensity compared to before. Europe on the other hand, seems to be combatting droights, something that I haven't read for a long time. This general trend on extreme weather patterns kept popping on a lot of countries, and I think it's no longer 'doom and gloom' but rather a harsh reality that is slowly creeping in before us. When you say 'drought in Europe' that is something that I can only read on literary classics. If it's happening now then that's a scary thing.

And the floor is our country is worse of last 100...and I am not sure what we have to see in the days to come.
The after affect of Covid and of the war has brought us at the strange position. Lets see what surprise we have to see in the coming days

[KennyR]

Maybe this can be taken as an initial days for the public to move towards a emission free development. Already the world is facing food shortage, now the drought cuts the production. Few lakes that have never drained in its lifetime have got drained which shows how high is the drought. The seasonal change is being felt all around. In my country after long years of seasonal change now things are coming to the past days. Maybe this is a cyclic process which at present is towards the Europeans Countries. During the time period of 2011-2018 there's increase in deforestation. Though this is being done for the agricultural needs, this can make changes to the environment.

[be.open]

To address the issue. We must first defined and comprehend the issue. Somewhere along the way. It seems that people became thoroughly convinced they do not need to understand or define issues to solve them. And so the next few years will certainly be interesting. It will be interesting to see what solutions people come up with.

I think the root of Europe's climate problem is the weakening of the Gulf Stream. The weakness of the warm current makes the climate less mild and more continental. If this version is workable, after an abnormally hot and dry summer, Europe will face a frosty and harsh winter.

[Lucius]

I think the root of Europe's climate problem is the weakening of the Gulf Stream. The weakness of the warm current makes the climate less mild and more continental. If this version is workable, after an abnormally hot and dry summer, Europe will face a frosty and harsh winter.

You should take a look at the prognostic models for the winter of 2022/23 and you will see that most of the models point to temperatures that will not be extremely low and that the warm autumn will last until November. Of course, this does not fit into what would suit Russian politics and some kind of perverse feeling of satisfaction that Europeans are freezing while you burn tens of millions of dollars worth of gas every day that you do not want to sell to the Nazis in the West.

Russia is burning an estimated $10 million worth of natural gas a day near its border with Finland, analysts say, even as it threatens to push Europe into a winter energy crisis by restricting exports to Germany and other countries.
State gas giant Gazprom is burning off, or "flaring," about 4.34 million cubic meters of gas a day at a new liquified natural gas (LNG) facility, according to analysis of heat levels and satellite data by Rystad Energy.

[pooya87]

Most of these published pieces are slim on details. There isn't a narrative published on how we got here. Its portrayed as if this crisis happened virtually overnight. "No one could have predicted this disaster."

Someone explained it for me once and apparently it was easily predictable.
First thing I should point out is that this drought is reverse for us, meaning we are getting out of drought to the point that we have seen multiple floods this past 2 months.
Basically it is all about global warming and how the ice mountains in poles have been melting so the clouds don't go up as much and end up raining in lower latitudes. Which means when you move towards south from Europe you will see more rains and the more north you move you'll see less.

Even though I remember reading about water shortages in yemen 15 years ago.

The water crisis (among other things) in Yemen is because the country is at war against a dozen other countries that keep attacking their infrastructure.

[be.open]

I think the root of Europe's climate problem is the weakening of the Gulf Stream. The weakness of the warm current makes the climate less mild and more continental. If this version is workable, after an abnormally hot and dry summer, Europe will face a frosty and harsh winter.

You should take a look at the prognostic models for the winter of 2022/23 and you will see that most of the models point to temperatures that will not be extremely low and that the warm autumn will last until November.

We'll see.

Of course, this does not fit into what would suit Russian politics and some kind of perverse feeling of satisfaction that Europeans are freezing while you burn tens of millions of dollars worth of gas every day that you do not want to sell to the Nazis in the West.

Russia is burning an estimated $10 million worth of natural gas a day near its border with Finland, analysts say, even as it threatens to push Europe into a winter energy crisis by restricting exports to Germany and other countries.
State gas giant Gazprom is burning off, or "flaring," about 4.34 million cubic meters of gas a day at a new liquified natural gas (LNG) facility, according to analysis of heat levels and satellite data by Rystad Energy.

This is cheap propaganda shit. Associated gas flaring is a common practice in oil production, and flaring is a common practice in LPG plants (this is a kind of safety valve, gas is flared so as not to poison all living things and so that there is no explosion threat). But in Europe, of course, asses are burning from this against the backdrop of a shortage of gas supplies and skyrocketing prices. It happens.

Move to live in Russia, we have gas and electricity at an affordable price. 

[Lucius]

This is cheap propaganda shit. Associated gas flaring is a common practice in oil production, and flaring is a common practice in LPG plants (this is a kind of safety valve, gas is flared so as not to poison all living things and so that there is no explosion threat). But in Europe, of course, asses are burning from this against the backdrop of a shortage of gas supplies and skyrocketing prices. It happens.

For you Russians, there is nothing else but propaganda, you don't even call war by its right name, even though you occupied 20% of the territory of a country and killed thousands of people whom you call Nazis because they defend their homes and lives. I know very well how LNG works and what has to be done for safety, but this is no ordinary operation - and as far as I'm concerned, you can burn all the gas you have if it makes you happy.

Move to live in Russia, we have gas and electricity at an affordable price. 

I am perfectly fine where I am now, and I will gladly pay any price if it is for a noble cause. In addition, most of the EU countries are on Russia's blacklist, so we are not welcome to try your hospitality, and as far as I can see, the Russians are fleeing to the west en masse because Putler is looking for new cannon fodder for the war.

[be.open]

This is cheap propaganda shit. Associated gas flaring is a common practice in oil production, and flaring is a common practice in LPG plants (this is a kind of safety valve, gas is flared so as not to poison all living things and so that there is no explosion threat). But in Europe, of course, asses are burning from this against the backdrop of a shortage of gas supplies and skyrocketing prices. It happens.

For you Russians, there is nothing else but propaganda, you don't even call war by its right name, even though you occupied 20% of the territory of a country and killed thousands of people whom you call Nazis because they defend their homes and lives. I know very well how LNG works and what has to be done for safety, but this is no ordinary operation - and as far as I'm concerned, you can burn all the gas you have if it makes you happy.

The other day I cooked chicken broth according to the recipe of my friend, he is a chef in a restaurant. Five hours on a slow fire, there is no gas meter in my technologically backward home, so gas is unlimited. Before the special operation in the West, they thought that Russia was a gas station country, but now it turned out that Europe is a technological appendage of Russia.

Move to live in Russia, we have gas and electricity at an affordable price. 

I am perfectly fine where I am now, and I will gladly pay any price if it is for a noble cause. In addition, most of the EU countries are on Russia's blacklist, so we are not welcome to try your hospitality, and as far as I can see, the Russians are fleeing to the west en masse because Putler is looking for new cannon fodder for the war.

For you Europeans, there is nothing else but propaganda. There is no mobilization in Russia, professionals and volunteers are fighting in Ukraine.