In Europe, more frequent and severe droughts due to climate change will increasingly impact the Continent's drinking water supplies, agriculture, industry, energy generation and social stability. Last month, the European Drought Observatory (EDO) released a map showing alerts for low rainfall or low soil moisture in areas of northern and southern Spain, northern Italy, most of Greece, southern Germany and almost all of France, as well as large parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. EDO's indicators suggest vast areas of the continent are far drier than they should be at this time of the year after what has been an exceptionally dry and warm winter. The lack of snow and rain in recent months has further strained Europe's water supplies, which were already low following the record-breaking temperatures that swept across the Continent over the summer. Amid the ongoing drought, several European countries are facing water shortages, and many...
