Spanish government warn of drought throughout Europe this summer

The government has put out an alert to warn about the lack of water throughout Europe due to the historically dry summer.

Europe has been warming faster than any other continent says the latest Copernicus report and as a result, Teresa Ribera the minister for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge says people must be “extremely cautious’ with water consumption in order to rule out, for the moment cuts in supply.

The Copernicus report highlights that last year much of Europe suffered from intense heat waves, that glaciers in the Alops recorded a record loss of ice and that last year’s summer was the warmest on record, with temperatures 1.4 C above the recent average.

The publication also pointed out that the south of Europe recorded the highest number of days with ‘very high heat stress’ ever recorded.

The Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, Carlo Buotempo said:

“The report highlights the alarming changes in our climate, including the hottest summer ever recorded in Europe, marked by unprecedented marine heat waves in the Mediterranean Sea and record temperatures in Greenland.

“Understanding the dynamics in Europe is crucial to our efforts to adapt and mitigate the negative effects of climate change on the continent.”

The effect of the increasing temperatures each year has already reached Spain, where the drought is beginning to be felt in various regions. But Teresa Ribera commented that the hardest months until September should be covered, although she says the government are not proposing supply cuts there is room to adopt extraordinary measures.