Droughts, Less Water in Southern Europe
2022-03-08
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1Southern Europe is facing a water crisis that could lead to a decrease in food production, especially in agriculture.
2Decreasing agricultural production in Europe and reduced water resources are future dangers as worldwide temperatures continue to rise, the world's top climate scientists say.
3Spain is facing one of the driest winters on record.
4Juan Camacho, a farmer in the southern province of Granada, said, "We are facing a drastic situation."
5Drastic is a term that means serious or severe.
6Not far from Camacho's land, the area's largest reservoir is down to 15 percent of its capacity after over two months without a drop of rain.
7In Portugal, authorities have restricted the use of some reservoirs for hydroelectric power and irrigation as the country experiences an unusual winter drought.
8Joaquín Montes is among those set to lose more.
9He is one of about 10 million farmers in the European Union who feed some 440 million people.
10Located between Costa del Sol and the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain, Montes' land should have plenty of water.
11But with 41 percent less rain than average since October, dams contain almost no water.
12Private sources of water - such as ponds - that are supposed to last farmers through summer are empty.
13"Us farmers, we are used to dealing with drought," said Montes, who learned the job from his father when he was 14.
14"But every year we see less and less rain. I fear for my livelihood."
15A report this week by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggested that Europeans will experience high heat and flooding as well as agricultural losses and water scarcity.
16Extreme heat, floods and droughts will lead to infrastructure damage and increased energy and water demands, the report warned.
17As warming rises faster in Europe than the worldwide average, experts painted a picture of a divided continent.
18They suggest that the south would become increasingly dry and the north could take on a Mediterranean climate that might provide some increased crop production and forest growth, but with risks of its own.
19Rachel Licker is a climate expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
20She told The Associated Press "There are some vegetables and warm climate crops that might see benefits in the short term."
21"The major crops that are exported and really form the basis of a lot of the economy are the ones that are likely to be negatively affected," she added.
22Environmentalists say landowners who switched from traditional crops to those that demand more water and bring higher profits are part of the problem.
23Industrial, single-crop farming for avocados or mangoes have replaced smaller, traditional farms.
24Patrick Verkooijen of the Rotterdam-based Global Center on Adaptation said the report's message is "that for many, now the time is already adapt or die."
25He added, "The cost of inaction is much higher than the cost of action."
26I'm John Russell.
1Southern Europe is facing a water crisis that could lead to a decrease in food production, especially in agriculture. 2Decreasing agricultural production in Europe and reduced water resources are future dangers as worldwide temperatures continue to rise, the world's top climate scientists say. 3Southern Europe 4Spain is facing one of the driest winters on record. Juan Camacho, a farmer in the southern province of Granada, said, "We are facing a drastic situation." 5Drastic is a term that means serious or severe. 6Not far from Camacho's land, the area's largest reservoir is down to 15 percent of its capacity after over two months without a drop of rain. 7In Portugal, authorities have restricted the use of some reservoirs for hydroelectric power and irrigation as the country experiences an unusual winter drought. 8Joaquín Montes is among those set to lose more. He is one of about 10 million farmers in the European Union who feed some 440 million people. 9Located between Costa del Sol and the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain, Montes' land should have plenty of water. 10But with 41 percent less rain than average since October, dams contain almost no water. Private sources of water - such as ponds - that are supposed to last farmers through summer are empty. 11"Us farmers, we are used to dealing with drought," said Montes, who learned the job from his father when he was 14. "But every year we see less and less rain. I fear for my livelihood." 12IPCC report 13A report this week by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change suggested that Europeans will experience high heat and flooding as well as agricultural losses and water scarcity. 14Extreme heat, floods and droughts will lead to infrastructure damage and increased energy and water demands, the report warned. 15As warming rises faster in Europe than the worldwide average, experts painted a picture of a divided continent. They suggest that the south would become increasingly dry and the north could take on a Mediterranean climate that might provide some increased crop production and forest growth, but with risks of its own. 16Rachel Licker is a climate expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists. She told The Associated Press "There are some vegetables and warm climate crops that might see benefits in the short term." 17"The major crops that are exported and really form the basis of a lot of the economy are the ones that are likely to be negatively affected," she added. 18Environmentalists say landowners who switched from traditional crops to those that demand more water and bring higher profits are part of the problem. Industrial, single-crop farming for avocados or mangoes have replaced smaller, traditional farms. 19Patrick Verkooijen of the Rotterdam-based Global Center on Adaptation said the report's message is "that for many, now the time is already adapt or die." 20He added, "The cost of inaction is much higher than the cost of action." 21I'm John Russell. 22Aritz Parra and Frank Jordans reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. 23____________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25reservoir - n. a usually artificial lake that is used to store a large supply of water for use in people's homes, in businesses, etc. 26capacity - n. the ability to hold or contain people or things - usually singular 27irrigation - n. the act of supplying (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes) 28drought - n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain 29scarcity - n. a very small supply : the state of being scarce 30infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly 31benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect