THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

As Europe experiences its worst drought in 500 years, how are economies, people and wildlife being impacted?

CGTN Europe

The European Union's Joint Research Centre has confirmed that Europe is experiencing its worst drought in at least 500 years. Record-breaking temperatures have produced scorching conditions across the continent which have resulted in wildfires, reduced crop yields, heat related deaths, internal displacement, transport disruption, and plummeting electricity generation.

Almost half of the continent is flashing a red warning for drought as the European Drought Observatory report declares 47 percent of Europe has a clear deficit of soil moisture, with a further 17 percent under a state of alert as vegetation is impacted.

What has been the impact on economies, local people and wildlife and how is Europe reacting to the climate crisis arriving on its doorstep?

Spain's 'Stonehenge' emerges from the drying Valdecanas reservoir as a harbinger of climate crisis to come. /Susana Vera/Reuters

Drought reveals UK structures submerged for decades

Michael Voss in Yorkshire, UK

A long-lost bridge exposed by drought at Baitings Reservoir, Yorkshire. /Michael Voss/CGTN

Baitings Reservoir is one of the wettest parts of the country. /Michael Voss/CGTN

The bridge is not as old as first thought. /Michael Voss/CGTN

"It really brings home just how much this is a drought that we are in the midst of and how careful we have got to be with our water"
Rebecca Staples, local teacher

The record-breaking heatwave in England may be over, but serious drought conditions remain. Reservoirs are running dangerously low, forcing emergency measures to reduce water usage such as banning the use of hosepipes to water gardens or wash cars.

But the receding waters of some reservoirs are starting to reveal long-lost structures and buildings submerged for decades.

Baitings Reservoir, set amongst the rolling hills of West Yorkshire some 350 kilometers north of London, has become a popular tourist spot in recent weeks.

The drought has reduced the River Ryburn to little more than a trickle, leaving the reservoir's water levels at an all-time low. It has exposed an old bridge submerged when the reservoir was built in the 1950s.

Local legend has it that this was an ancient medieval packhorse bridge dating back to when goods were transported on horseback.

Now locals and visitors alike are taking this rare opportunity to follow an old exposed path and walk across the bridge.

'We've got to be careful with our water'

Rebecca Staples is a head teacher, who had traveled for the day from South Yorkshire to see not just the bridge but the extent of the drought.

"I'm really shocked," she told CGTN. "I've come today because I've seen it on the television but nothing prepared me for what it's really like once you get here.

"It's not just seeing the bridge," she added. "It's such a tiny trickle of a stream behind it and it really brings home just how much this is a drought that we are in the midst of and how careful we have got to be with our water."

The bridge, though, is not as old as first thought.

Alex Greenwood is a local historian and member of the Parish Council at nearby Ripponden.

"It is very interesting for a local historian because we can actually see the foundations of the bridge and the structure of it, which hasn't been revealed for quite a number of years," she explained. "For example, you can tell very distinctly that it is a 19th-century industrial build."

During a previous dry spell, there was a more gruesome discovery – the possible victim of a gangland killing.

"In 1989, they found the body of a 23-year-old man," Greenwood explained. "He'd been shot in the head and his body weighed down by a pickaxe – and sadly the case has never been solved."

Many other depleted reservoirs across the country are also revealing long-lost structures, providing a rare opportunity for history enthusiasts.

But the drought has also led to questions over the water companies not having invested enough to modernize the system.

Water companies in England and Wales were privatized in the late 1980s. Since then no major new reservoirs have been built while water leaks and sewage discharges into rivers and the sea remain major problems.

Critics accuse the water companies of prioritizing shareholder dividends over investment.

'We've taken water for granted'

The industry regulator Ofwat has defended the companies, saying that no new reservoirs were built as water usage went down during the period and that they are meeting government-set targets to tackle leaks and sewage discharges.

"We definitely need to work with the infrastructure we have much more effectively," said Christine Colvin, Director of Advocacy for the Rivers Trust, a conservation group campaigning for better water conditions. "We need to bring down the level of leaks and significantly reduce the amount of raw sewage that's still getting into our rivers."

But she also believes that everyone needs to play their part.

"We are going to have these long hot dry summers much more regularly. So we really need to value water in a way we haven't done in the past, we've taken it for granted," she added.

The area around Baitings Reservoir is normally considered one of the wettest parts of the country. A recent study found that one of the nearby towns, Huddersfield, had the third-highest annual rainfall of major UK towns, after Cardiff and Glasgow.

Last week, Britain's Environment Agency declared that Yorkshire, along with several other regions, was now officially suffering a drought. This gave Yorkshire Water the power to reduce consumption by banning the use of hosepipes to water gardens or wash cars.

There are already such restrictions in parts of southern England, which have suffered the lowest levels of rainfall since records began. In London, a hosepipe ban took effect on August 24.

Heat and drought slash EU forecast for summer crop yields

Giles Gibson in Budapest

A farmer drives a tractor across a parched field in north-eastern France. /Reuters

The European Commission has warned that Europe will produce significantly lower amounts of key summer crops such as soybeans and sunflowers this year.

"The exceptionally hot and/or dry weather conditions in large parts of Europe continue to substantially reduce yield outlooks for EU summer crops," the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) said in its latest report.

However, some winter crops including potatoes and sugar beet are expected to have a better year than average.

"Conversely, these conditions benefited the harvesting of winter crops, which contributed to a slight improvement of the yield forecast for these crops," the report adds.

The JRC publishes its Monitoring Agricultural Resources (MARS) bulletin every month. It analyses current environmental conditions and forecasts yields for key crops such as maize and soybeans.

Compared to an average of the last five years, the JRC expects farmers in the EU to produce 15 percent less soybeans and 12 percent less sunflowers in 2022. Both crops are used around the world to make vegetable oils, as well as many other products usually found in kitchen cupboards.

In its last report at the end of July, the JRC also warned that "yield outlook for EU summer crops was substantially reduced due to continued hot and dry weather conditions in large parts of Europe."

This summer has seen record-breaking temperatures and severe drought across the continent. Earlier this month, the European Drought Observatory said that more than 60 percent of land in the EU and the UK was under some kind of drought warning or alert.

Before this latest warning from the EU, global food markets had already been under intense pressure due to the conflict in Ukraine. The country, known as the "breadbasket of Europe," is a major producer of maize and cooking oil.

With fighting breaking out across southern Ukraine, grain shipments had been stuck in silos and ports for months. Under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, though, ships are now sailing from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

In a speech over the weekend, Türkiye's defense minister said that 27 vessels carrying grain have left Ukrainian ports since the start of August.

Low water levels on Germany's River Rhine have disrupted shipping routes. /Reuters

A grain terminal in the Ukrainian port of Odesa. /Reuters

Warmer and wetter weather related to climate change appears to stress bumblebees and makes their wings less symmetrical, which could eventually be a threat to their future development, according to new research from UK scientists.

"With hotter and wetter conditions predicted to place bumblebees under higher stress, the fact these conditions will become more frequent under climate change means bumblebees may be in for a rough time over the 21st century," scientists at Imperial College, London, said in their report published in the Animal Ecology journal on Wednesday.

The large furry bees, known for their distinctive buzzing sound, feed on flowers, which has made them vulnerable to environmental changes caused by rapid urbanization and intensive farming.

Their population has dramatically declined in Britain over the past century, with two species becoming extinct, according to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

The Imperial College scientists looked at more than 6,000 bumblebee specimens in natural history museums, collected across Britain during the 20th century.

The scientists looked at the right-left symmetry between the bees' four wings, with asymmetry an apparent indication that the insect experienced stress during development.

They discovered that the specimens from the second half of the 20th century had a far higher average rate of asymmetry.

Increasing imperfection

Asymmetry was also "consistently higher in warmer and wetter years," according to the paper's senior co-author Richard Gill.

"Overall, these results could suggest bumblebees experienced increasing stress as the century progressed and that aspects of climate change could have contributed to this trend," the report said.

The weather conditions linked to imperfect wings "will likely increase in frequency with climate change," it continued.

In April, scientists in the U.S. who studied more than 20,000 bees in the Rocky Mountains found that bumblebees had lower tolerance for heat than smaller bees and were "more threatened under climate warming than other bees."

Another study released in April in the British scientific journal Nature found that these global heating and intensive agriculture were causing insect populations to rapidly decline by nearly half, compared to areas less affected by temperature rises and industrial farming.

Bees wings are less symmetrical. /Roslan Rahman/AFP

UK farmers count the cost of prolonged drought

Kitty Logan in Surrey, England

Crop destruction could lead to higher prices. /Kitty Logan/CGTN

With large parts of England suffering from drought, farmers are still waiting for significant rain to heal scorched land and recover the losses they have incurred due to unusually high temperatures.

In particular, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) says it is predicting a reduced yield of crops that were planted in the spring, such as rapeseed, linseed, beans, and pulses, as these have been worst affected by the lack of rain over the summer months.

Farm manager Mike Gibbons runs a 700-acre farm on a country estate in the rolling hills of Surrey. With less than half the usual rainfall in the area in recent weeks, his crop of spring beans has not grown anywhere close to its full potential.

"Since April, it's had very little rain on it," he says. "You can see that it's shortened. These pods should have another two or three beans within that pod. But we've only got three, which is obviously going to have an effect on yield when it's harvested."

Meanwhile, wheat planted in the winter has fared better. Farmers in southern England took advantage of the dry conditions to harvest much earlier than usual and saved on drying costs. But a barn which should be full of straw, an essential by-product of the wheat crop for feeding livestock, is mostly empty.

"The downside is the straw yield, which the farm does rely on as an added income, has been very low," says Gibbons. "Normally we would expect one and a half tons an acre. And we're struggling to get half a ton an acre."

Multiple challenges

That shortage of winter feed is bad news for livestock farmers. With grass dried to a pale, yellow crisp in the searing heat, many are already using valuable stocks to stave off hunger among sheep and cattle.

In the arid yellow fields of Buckinghamshire, sheep crane their necks through fencing, desperately seeking any leaves to chew on while cows nibble at hedging and trees, the grass dead beneath their hooves. The land could take months to recover its nutritional value.

Wildfires have been another challenge for farmers during the hot weather. With fields tinder-dry, hundreds of fires have torn through crops in recent weeks, leaving entire fields charred and ruined.

The NFU says the true extent of these losses is not yet known. And with the ground hard, cracked and dry, the organization is warning that the upcoming growing season could be equally unpredictable.

"It's not even worth planting," says Matt Culley, Chairman of the NFU Crops Board. "These crops, these seeds will just not grow at the moment, in the current conditions. So time is running out for those crops in terms of establishment, especially oilseed rape."

'We can adapt, we will adapt'

The NFU says it is not yet evident if the disruption to crop production will cause a further rise in food prices, but with some types of produce that could be inevitable, as farmers also continue to struggle with high fuel and fertilizer costs.

But the urgent question now is how farmers can work around increasingly extreme weather conditions to keep food production consistent.

"Obviously, we've got to revise our focus, look at our budgets, look at our resource, use efficiency and try and conserve as much moisture as well by the techniques that we grow our crops with and have a better understanding of what these drought conditions will do year-on-year to our yield expectations," says Culley.

"We can adapt, and we will adapt. With government support in the right places then we can make the best of it, but I think if we keep getting this, there are going to be realizations that we are effectively going to grow less."

Farmers hope that the worst of the summer heat is over, but what they really need now to save their next crop is plenty of steady rainfall. And so far, there is no sign of it coming.

The remains of a barley crop in Buckinghamshire. /Kitty Logan/CGTN

'Spanish Stonehenge' emerges from drought-hit reservoir

Wildfire, extreme temperatures and a record drought have combined to cause havoc for many in rural Spain this summer.

But one of the few upsides of the country's worst drought in decades has been the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle in a dam whose waterline has dropped, sending Spanish archeologists into raptures.

Officially known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal, but nicknamed the Spanish Stonehenge, the circle of dozens of megalithic stones is estimated to date back to 5,000 BC.

It now sits fully exposed in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, in Spain's central Caceres province, where the water level has dropped to 28 percent of capacity.

"It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it," said archeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University.

But experts like Cedillo are having to race against the clock, studying the circle as much as possible before it gets submerged again.

The site was discovered by German archeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, but the area was purposely flooded in 1963 in a development project under the Franco dictatorship.

Since then it has only been fully visible four times.

Dolmens are vertically arranged stones which usually support a flat boulder that lies on top of them. Although there are many such sites across Western Europe, little is known about who erected them.

The fact that human remains have been found in or near many have led to a common theory that they are tombs.

Local historical and tourism associations have advocated moving the Guadalperal stones to a museum or elsewhere on dry land. But in Caceres, there is no silver lining for the local farmers.

"There hasn't been enough rain since the spring... There is no water for the livestock and we have to transport it in," said Jose Manuel Comendador.

Climate change has left the Iberian peninsula at its driest in 1,200 years, and winter rains will continue to diminish, a study published by the Nature Geoscience journal showed.

Even as humankind's future is threatened, its past is quietly revealed.

The dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the Spanish Stonehenge, is seen due to receding waters at the Valdecanas reservoir. /Susana Vera/Reuters

While there are many such sites scattered around Western Europe, little is known about who erected the continent's dolmens. /Susana Vera/Reuters

Climate change leaves Greenland on thin ice

An iceberg floats by in Ilulissat, Greenland. /Odd Andersen/AFP

More than 50,000 tourists came to Greenland in 2021. /Odd Andersen/AFP

Visitors on a sightseeing vessel in Disko Bay in Greenlands' Ilulissat. /Odd Andersen/AFP

Tourists from all over the world are flocking to Ilulissat on the west coast of Greenland to see the world renowned glaciers and icebergs.

But the increasing numbers of tourists and the worsening effects of climate change mean the glaciers may not be around to watch for much longer.

Authorities are already considering ways to control crowds to protect the fragile environment, as some of the area's sites are starting to disappear.

"It's a dream destination," said Yves Gleyze, a French tourist in his sixties, as he arrived at Ilulissat airport.

Visitors to the third-biggest town in the Danish autonomous territory are met by a rugged landscape of minimal vegetation and grey rock – but just a short drive away, there are mesmerizing views of massive icebergs.

Breaking off from the Ilulissat glacier in the neighboring fjord, the towering blocks of ice drift slowly by in Disko bay, as the occasional whale surfaces nearby.

Balancing tourism and conservation

These one-of-a-kind views brought 50,000 tourists to Greenland's shores in 2021, more than 10 times the town's population.

More than half make only a short stop while on Arctic cruises.

Numbers are expected to grow with the opening of an international airport in the next two years, a welcome boost to the island's revenues.

However, the question is how long will these majestic glaciers be around considering the island's delicate ecosystem is melting, and quickly.

The Arctic has warmed nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet in the past 40 years, according to a recent study.

"We can see changes every day caused by climate change: the icebergs are getting smaller, the glacier is retreating," said mayor Palle Jeremiassen.

Thawing permafrost is also threatening the stability of some buildings and infrastructure.

"We want to control the arrival of tourist ships here," said Jeremiassen, noting the risks posed by the highly-polluting vessels.

To protect the environment and community, Ilulissat should only welcome "one ship max per day, max one thousand tourists per ship," he said.

Jeremiassen said the town's infrastructure is not designed to accommodate the growing number of tourists, nor can it ensure that tourists take care of the protected areas they are visiting.

Changing conditions

In the past two decades, Greenland's massive ice cap has lost 4.7 trillion tonnes of ice, leading to a sea level rise of 1.2 centimeters on its own, according to Danish Arctic researchers.

"The ice conditions are changing. The main fjord used to be closed off by huge icebergs and sea ice and the fishermen were not able to sail in before," said Sascha Schiott, a researcher at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources.

But now they can, and boats are able to head out fishing year-round. That has increased hauls, but the size of the fish they catch has decreased, largely due to overfishing, says Schiott.

Ejner Inusgtuk, a fisherman preparing his lines in the port, disagrees that it's the industries fault. For him, the problem is the same as it is for the glaciers: "The climate is too warm."

The delicate balance of life and economy in this dramatic outpost will continue to be a source of worry and discontent for locals.

Portugal on wildfire alert as it is hit by a third heatwave

Portugal, hit by a third heatwave after weeks of wildfires, has been placed on a 24-hour national alert to counter the threat posed by more blazes. Under its measures, the authorities have restricted access to forests and banned fireworks displays, as well as stepping up the state of readiness of the emergency services.

Having only just controlled a fire that destroyed more than 28,000 hectares in the Serra da Estrela national park, civil protection authorities said firefighters were tackling another blaze in the central northern Vila Real region.

"According to provisional estimates, this fire has burnt 4,500 hectares," said Andre Fernandes, Head of Emergency and Civil Protection Services, of the blaze in a hard-to-access mountainous area. Two Canadair water bomber planes, sent by Greece under the terms of an EU-wide civil protection support mechanism, were aiding firefighters' efforts.

The government issued the alert on Sunday after identifying a heightened risk of rural fires as temperatures look set to hit 40 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday amid an ongoing severe drought.

'A state of natural disaster'

The latest heatwave comes with Portugal having experienced its hottest July in almost a century.

Since January, the country's Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests says more than 94,000 hectares of land have been laid waste to in Portugal's worst forest fires since 2017, when a series of blazes cost dozens of lives.

A fire was finally extinguished last Wednesday, which had burnt more than 25,000 hectares of land in the UNESCO-listed central mountainous area of Serra da Estrela, home to diverse wildlife species including wildcats and lizards.

Minister of the Presidency Marina Vieira da Silva said after meeting mayors of affected municipalities that Lisbon was declaring "a state of natural disaster" to allow the release of rapid aid. The government is also drawing up a "revitalization plan" for the Serra da Estrela park.

The consensus among scientists is that climate change has increased the probability of heatwaves, leading to drought and more forest fires.