Climate Threat Global Challenges

Record heatwaves are sucking water out of Europe's land

Record heatwaves caused by the climate crisis are "sucking" water out of Europe's soil in the summer and intensifying droughts, according to a scientific analysis reported by The Guardian.

The persistent heat means that water in the ground, rivers and lakes has evaporated significantly. According to the study, such conditions were 80 times more likely in Western Europe and 40 times more likely in Eastern Europe due to global warming.

The extreme drought was five times more likely in the West and eleven times more likely in the East due to emissions from fossil fuels.

Drought is usually linked to low rainfall, but scientists believe that the climate crisis has changed that. After a winter with a lot of rainfall, they believe that high temperatures are instead the main factor.

Extreme weather in Europe
Forest fires continue – thousands forced to flee

The violent forest fires in France, Spain and Italy have forced thousands more people to flee, reports TT.

During the night of Thursday, French authorities announced that 7,000 people in the southwest of the country had been evacuated. On Wednesday, a forest fire in central Spain – described as the second worst in the country’s history – had destroyed over 32,000 hectares of land.

At the same time, authorities in both the UK and Greece are warning of extreme drought and a very high fire risk.

In recent days, at least three firefighters have died while fighting the forest fires, according to France 24.

The heat wave cost the British economy 15 billion

The heat wave that hit Britain in June cost the country’s economy 1.15 billion pounds, equivalent to 15 billion kronor, due to lost working hours, writes the news agency Bloomberg.

The heat affected working hours, workplaces, commuting and sleep, according to a study by the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics.

Elizabeth Robinson, director of the Grantham Institute, told the news agency that their study shows that Britain is not adapting to climate change.

“The government cannot continue to ignore the extreme heat,” Robinson said.