The word "drought" remained a strange term for Europeans until the past few weeks, after the old continent turned into a ball of flame, recording record temperatures that led to the decline in the level of the major rivers on the continent, and the transformation of green spaces into barren lands.

The European continent is experiencing an unprecedented drought, the worst in 500 years, according to the Joint Research Center of the European Commission.

According to the forecasts of the same source, "severe drought" affected 47% of the European continent, and two-thirds of the tar area is threatened by drought, knowing that until mid-July last, 15% of the area of ​​Europe was classified as "severe drought."

The situation in Europe

France:

French Prime Minister Elizabeth Born announced the formation of a team to deal with the worst drought in the country's history in 64 years, and 100 regions in France are suffering from a complete lack of potable water, and the situation is expected to continue in the coming months.

The French Electricity Company (EDF) announced a reduction in the amount of energy produced by one of its nuclear reactors due to the high temperature of the water used to cool the reactors.

Spain:

Its water reserve has become only 40%, which is the lowest level in history, and this percentage decreases by about 1.5% with each week in which excessive heat continues and rains are absent. According to the Spanish government, this year is the driest year in 60 years.

Italy:

Officially, the Italian government announced that this year is the driest year in the country's history, and according to the Italian Meteorological Society, what is happening in the country has not been recorded for more than 230 years.

One of the most prominent manifestations of the drought situation in the country is the miserable condition of the "Bo" River, which used to flow with a length of 652 km, and its flow decreased to 10% of the norm.

The Po River in Italy is experiencing an unprecedented drop in water levels due to a drought (Getty Images)

Germany:

The Rhine is one of the most important rivers in the world, and through it the largest commercial movement in Europe passes, and connects Germany with major ports, especially Rotterdam in the Netherlands and ports in Britain. Some ships are absorbing only 25% of their capacity to avoid stranding in the river, which leads to higher shipping costs.

Belgium: Belgium

recorded the driest year in its history since 1885, and the water level in a number of its rivers declined.

Britain:

The British government announced that 8 regions of the country had entered a state of "severe drought." The hottest summer in Britain's history was recorded since 1976, and July was the hottest month since 1935, after the temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in some According to the British newspaper "The Guardian", some of the sources of the River Thames have dried up for the first time in the country's history.

What are the reasons?

The first answer that scientists give is the climatic changes that have led to an increase in Earth's temperatures by one degree.

In addition to the decline in snowfall during the winter season, which led to a decrease in the volume of water that usually flows from the mountains, and the level of water consumption by plants has increased because they suffer from drought and the decline in the fertility of the land

However, another study published in the "Nature" website says that high temperatures in Europe are accompanied by dryness caused by changes in air currents that push hot air from North Africa towards Europe.

The situation may also worsen due to what appears to be a European retreat from the goal of reducing gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, as the energy crisis is pushing European governments to return to old methods, including relying on coal and fossil fuels.

What is the economic cost of drought and heat?

High temperatures and droughts are causing great losses to the European economy, and according to a study by a number of European economic experts, long heat waves will affect Europe's GDP. The same study predicted that European GDP growth will decline by 0.5% compared to the past evil years.