Researchers from the European Commission have warned that the drought that has engulfed much of the European Union will be the worst since the 16th century.
“Now this year seems to be the worst in 500 years, and even worse than it was in 2018,” said Andrea Torretti, senior fellow at the European Commission’s Joint Research Council. , there were no other similar events, given the exacerbation of hot and dry weather four years ago.
“That year, particularly dry and hot weather left central and northern Europe and yields of major crops decreased by 50%, but wet conditions in southern Europe showed higher yields,” he explained, adding: “This year, on the contrary, A large part of Europe is prone to heatwaves and dry weather, with droughts affecting food production, energy, drinking water and wildlife.
The latest data from the European Drought Observatory (EDO) showed that about 45% of the European bloc’s land was in “warning” conditions – the second of three drought categories – in the 10 days leading up to July 20.
Source: sky news