Europe’s next crisis: Water

A study using satellite data confirmed earlier this year that Europe has been suffering from severe drought since 2018. Rising temperatures are making it difficult to recover from this deficit, leaving the Continent stuck in a dangerous cycle where water becomes ever more precarious.

“A few years ago I would have said we have enough water in Europe,” said Torsten Mayer-Gürr, a lead author of the satellite study. “Now it looks like we could face problems.” 

While wet conditions in coming weeks could replenish topsoils and help agriculture, even a rainy spring can’t fix Europe’s ongoing groundwater shortage, experts warn. 

With summer around the corner, governments are now scrambling to address both current and future shortages — while managing the tensions arising from growing competition over water.

Drought, said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez last week, “is going to be one of the central political and territorial debates of our country over the coming years.”

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