Extreme heat fuelled by climate change is intensifying Europe’s drought, study finds

Climate change is intensifying drought across Europe by accelerating the loss of water through extreme heat, according to a new analysis published on Thursday, as falling water levels continue to disrupt farming, shipping and industry across the continent.

Several European countries are facing severe drought this summer. France is bracing for its smallest maize harvest in 50 years, Romania has restricted irrigation water for farmers, the Netherlands has declared a water shortage, and seven Greek islands have imposed drought emergency measures to conserve water.

Researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group said climate change did not cause the lack of rainfall between April and June. Instead, it significantly worsened the drought by increasing temperatures, causing moisture to evaporate from rivers, soils and reservoirs much faster.

According to the study, conditions favouring extreme evaporation were 80 times more likely in western Europe and 40 times more likely in eastern Europe during the first half of the year compared with pre-industrial times.

“Extreme heat is taking over as the primary driver of drought on our continent,” said Sarah Kew, a climate scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.

The researchers said climate change is reshaping how drought develops in Europe, with soaring temperatures now playing a greater role than declining rainfall.

The analysis also found that agricultural soil droughts are now five times more likely in western Europe and 11 times more likely in eastern Europe because of human-driven climate change.