Climate Change Is Making Droughts Worse Across Europe

Scientists say climate change is making droughts much worse across Europe this summer. A group of climate experts published a report on Thursday explaining why so many European countries are running low on water. Extreme heat is causing water to dry up from the soil and rivers faster than normal. Countries like France, Romania, Greece, and the Netherlands are all feeling the effects.

France is worried it could have its smallest corn harvest in 50 years. Romania has limited how much water farmers can use for their crops. The Netherlands declared a water shortage last week. Seven islands in Greece have declared drought emergencies to help save water. These problems are hurting farming, shipping, and many other industries across the continent.

Scientists from a group called World Weather Attribution looked closely at what is causing these droughts. They found that climate change did not directly cause the low rainfall seen from April to June this year. Instead, climate change played a different but very important role. It caused extreme heat, and that heat is pulling water out of the ground and rivers at a much faster rate.

Think of it like leaving a wet sponge in the sun. The hotter the sun, the faster the sponge dries out. That is exactly what is happening to Europe's soil. Climate scientist Sarah Kew explained it this way: "We are seeing water supplies evaporate out of our soils and rivers faster than we would have in a world without climate change, turning what would have been manageable dry spells into severe droughts." She works at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Service.

The numbers from the report are striking. In western Europe, conditions that cause water to evaporate quickly from the soil were 80 times more likely this year compared to times before humans began burning large amounts of fossil fuels. In eastern Europe, those same conditions were 40 times more likely. This shows just how much human activity has changed the climate over the years.

The report also found that droughts in farm soil are now five times more likely in western Europe because of climate change. In eastern Europe, they are 11 times more likely. Scientists say this shows that droughts in Europe are changing in a new way. In the past, droughts were mostly caused by a lack of rain. Now, warmer air is playing a bigger role by stopping rain from soaking into the ground and staying there.