Drought

Report: Europe Facing Worst Drought in 500 Years

AUG 24 2022·Updated JUN 5 2023

Story

Image credit: AP [via Al Jazeera]

The Facts

Europe is experiencing what may be its worst drought in five centuries, according to a report from the EU's European Drought Observatory (EDO).
Al Jazeera
Hydro and other power plants lack sufficient water to maintain cooling systems, crops such as sunflower, soybean and grain maize yields have reduced 12 - 16 percent compared to the last five years and low water levels have reduced inland shipping of products including coal and oil.
EuroNews
47 percent of the EU is experiencing a clear soil moisture deficit, with vegetation also affected in 17 percent of the territory.
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"Severe drought" throughout Europe since the start of the year has "been further expanding and worsening as of early August", the EDO said. Extended periods of lack of rainfall combined with a "sequence of heatwaves from May onwards" have only made matters worse, the report concluded.
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The Spin

Narrative A

We were warned for decades about the dangers of failing to address global warming. Now the consequences of our failures, such as record breaking heatwaves, droughts and declining crop yields, are finally upon us.

Chrishedges

Narrative B

Extreme weather events are usually influenced by a myriad of factors, including natural variability. It is very difficult to conclusively establish any direct causal link between global warming and any specific weather event.