The climate crisis is driving extreme heatwaves across Europe, rapidly evaporating water from rivers, lakes, and soil, thereby intensifying drought conditions throughout the continent.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing international media reports, the situation has reached critical levels.
Research conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA) scientists indicates that record-breaking heatwaves have significantly accelerated water loss from rivers, lakes, soil, and vegetation. The study suggests that such conditions, driven by global warming, are now 80 times more likely in Western Europe and 40 times more likely in Eastern Europe. Furthermore, pollution stemming from fossil fuels has increased the impact on soil desiccation by a factor of five in Western Europe and eleven in Eastern Europe.
Experts note that despite a rainy winter season in Western Europe, high temperatures during the summer months have become the primary driver of the drought. Conditions previously classified as "moderate" have now escalated to "extreme."
The analysis, covering the period through the end of June, emphasizes the severe negative impact of the drought on water resources and agriculture. Several countries have implemented emergency water usage restrictions. In southern regions of the United Kingdom, bans on using hoses to water gardens and crops have been enforced.
Reports indicate that wildfires are spreading across vast areas in Spain and France, while farmers are facing the driest soil conditions in recent years. Across Europe, a loss of approximately 9 million tons of grain is expected. France is projected to record its lowest corn yields in 50 years, while in Romania, more than 1 million hectares of arable land have been damaged.
The transport and energy sectors are also feeling the effects of the drought. Lower water levels in European rivers have reduced hydroelectric power generation and created significant logistical challenges for freight transport. In the Netherlands, water levels in the Rhine River have dropped below the record low set in 1976.
Experts warn that this situation could lead to rising food and energy prices, disproportionately affecting low-income households.
The authors of the study highlight an increasingly strong link between the human-induced climate crisis and the droughts observed in Europe. Dominik Schumacher, a scientist at ETH Zurich, noted that unusual soil drying was observed in the spring, even before the summer season began. According to his assessment, the drought in 2026 began approximately two months earlier than in 2022.
Mariam Zachariah, a scientist at Imperial College London, emphasized that the current situation is occurring against a backdrop of a 1.4-degree Celsius rise in global average temperatures. She warned that without significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, intense evaporation and drought events will occur more frequently in the future.
UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell also stated that the droughts observed in Europe serve as a clear warning that the planet is warming at a dangerous rate, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources.
