The total loss of water in Europe is about 84 billion tons per year
Photo: REUTERS
A summer drought is approaching Europe. The European Observatory, which specializes in the study of dry weather, analyzed meteorological data from recent years and found that more than a third of the European continent is on the threshold of a dry period, and 10% of the region is already experiencing severe drought. It’s not specifically about this summer, but about global climate change. Drought has been manifesting itself in various forms since 2018. The total loss of water in Europe is about 84 billion tons per year. This is confirmed by a study conducted by one of the Australian universities, which showed that in recent years Europe has been regularly losing much more groundwater than it is replenished by rainfall. The European Federation of National Drinking Water Suppliers has estimated that Europe loses around 20-25% of its drinking water due to pipe leaks alone.
This season there are restrictions on the use of water in some regions of France and Spain, writes Sky News. At the end of June, the temperature in some regions of the kingdom exceeded +44°C. The EU climate change service has registered a drought in 60% of Spain from June 1 to 10.
French President Emmanuel Macron has spread a plan to combat the water crisis after a snowless winter. And that water resources and a dry climate will become the pillars of the political agenda in the near future, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said when temperatures in the south of the kingdom rose to +40 °C in April.
Climate activists have already declared war on golfers in Spain. To protest the inappropriate use of water for the maintenance of golf courses, they filled the holes of 10 golf clubs throughout the country with cement. In addition, eco-activists from Extinction Rebellion Spain displayed banners: “Attention! Drought! The golf club is closed in the name of climate justice” and “Water is a common good!”.
Conservationists have calculated that more than 100,000 liters of water are used every day for a single well, keeping the surrounding countryside in good condition. At the same time, only 0.6% of the population plays golf in Spain.
In Portugal, drought has gripped 90% of the country, prompting the government to seek financial help from the EU authorities for farmers in difficulty.
