This summer, record high temperatures swept across Europe. In western and south-central Europe, there has been nearly two months of no significant rainfall. Meteorologists expect that the situation of little or no rainfall will continue for some time.
France: Drought is severe
The Burgundy rivers dried up
In the French region of Burgundy, many local rivers have been cut off and dried up due to persistent drought, which has a serious impact on local agricultural production.
Like many other European countries, France is experiencing an unprecedented drought that has affected key sectors of the country's economy, especially agriculture.
In the small village of Lux in the rural area of Burgundy, France, there is a river in the village called the Thiele River, which under normal circumstances is 15 meters wide. But now, it has completely stopped flowing due to the continuous drought, and the bare dry riverbed can see many places that have been dried dead fish.
Burgundy is home to the source of the Seine River that runs through Paris, usually at this time of summer, when it is full of greenery. But this year, Burgundy presents a different picture, with yellow grass, livestock with no fresh grass to eat, farmers toiling in dry fields, tractors raising huge dust in the air. France's National Meteorological Office predicts that the current dry and hot weather with little rain may continue until mid-October.
Coulson, president of the Young Farmers' Union in Burgundy, France, said the most worrying thing at the moment is the production of crops such as sunflowers and corn, which is the main base feed for cows. Coulson expects their corn production to be reduced by at least 30 percent this year, and the quality is also worrying, with starch levels likely to be lower than in previous years. At that time, they may have to source corn from outside for feed, and the cost will increase significantly. At the same time, the quantity and quality of milk are also declining due to high temperatures.
A few days ago, the relevant departments of "Standard & Poor's" significantly reduced the EU's corn and sunflower production this year. The report predicts that EU maize production will be 12.5 million tonnes less than last year and sunflowers by 1.6 million tonnes.
Persistent drought
Italy's longest river, the Po River, has nearly dried up
Affected by the ongoing drought, the water level of Italy's longest river, the Wave River, fell to its lowest level in 70 years. Some experts say that judging by the current state of the Po River, parts of Europe may have suffered the worst drought this year in 500 years.
Usually, at this time of year, Italy's longest river, the Po River, is crowded with people, and many tourists and locals want to come here in the summer to cool off and dine on a cruise ship.
But this year, rare high temperatures arrived ahead of schedule, coupled with a significant reduction in precipitation, the water level of the Bo River fell to the lowest level in 70 years, many sections of the river in the basin dried up, and the seawater in the estuary was inverted. There are some rivers where people can even walk in the river, but they can't swim or boat.
As the longest river in Italy, the Po River is more than 650 kilometers long, running through the northern region of Italy from west to east, with many tributaries and lakes in the basin, and developed agriculture.
Since July, however, the Italian government has declared a state of emergency in the area around the Po River, which accounts for more than a third of Italy's agricultural production.
Recently, the latest data from the European Drought Watch website showed that about 47% of Europe was in a state of drought "warning" for 10 days from July 21 to July 30. In the same time period, 17% of Europe has entered the most severe drought "alert" state, which means that normal rainfall has not been able to alleviate the drying up of the soil, and the growth of plants and crops has also been affected. The meteorological department expects that the drought in many European countries will further intensify this month.
Transferred from: CCTV Financial WeChat
Source: China Economic Network