Extreme drought in Europe: the Danube, Rhine, Loire and Po are in crisis
The scorching summer is putting European rivers and urban centres under severe strain, highlighting the urgent need for integrated policies to tackle climate change and water management
The great rivers in distress, from the Danube to the Rhine and the Loire and the Po; the race among cities to establish or create climate refuges; the empty streets of city centres during the day; ground temperatures reaching 75° in the outskirts of major cities: these are the images of a summer characterised throughout Europe by a widespread perception that global warming is accelerating, forcing us to rethink not only our cities but also our way of life, against the backdrop of a relationship with water resources that has yet to be fully understood, even here on the Italian Peninsula.
This is the picture painted by ANBI – the National Association of Consortia for the Management and Protection of the Territory and Irrigation Waters – regarding the consequences of this scorching summer.
“In the face of a momentous change, which is particularly evident in Europe, we need shared EU policies that respect regional specificities. In Brussels, it is essential to restore the responsible cohesion that enabled us to overcome the Covid crisis,” warns Francesco Vincenzi, president of ANBI and vice-president of ‘Irrigants d’Europe’.
