Drought alarm in Germany: Climate causes water shortages!

Drought alarm in Germany: Climate causes water shortages!

Global drought areas have changed dramatically over the last 120 years. Drought-affected regions have doubled since 1900, according to an analysis based on the SPEI drought index, which takes precipitation and evaporation data into account. Today, more than a fifth of the world's land area is affected by these extreme droughts, whereas in 1900 it was just over a tenth. This development is alarming and affects not only remote desert destinations such as the Sahara or the Gobi Desert, but also many fertile regions of the world. The drought can therefore endanger more and more habitats and agriculture, which has serious economic consequences. This information is presented by Kleine Zeitung.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that between 2000 and 2020, 40 percent of the world's land area experienced more frequent and intense droughts than in the period 1950 to 2000. The main cause of this shift is climate change, which brings rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and reduced snowpack and glacial reserves. In addition, harmful agricultural practices, deforestation and the sealing of areas are further exacerbating the drought problem. These trends also confirm the research results of Tagesspiegel, according to which winter precipitation in Germany has increased by up to 30 percent since pre-industrial times, while summer precipitation has fallen by 10 percent.

Environmental and economic impacts

Extreme droughts not only throw ecosystems out of balance, but also pose a significant threat to biodiversity. These changes have far-reaching consequences for agriculture and the economy in general. The water shortage has a negative impact on shipping routes and cooling in energy production. Dirk Messner, President of the Federal Environment Agency, emphasizes the urgency of developing reliable water strategies and promoting the economical use of this valuable resource.

A Federal Environment Agency project, known as WADKlim, is investigating the effects of climate change on water availability in Germany. The aim of this initiative is to analyze changes in the water supply, the soil water balance and groundwater availability. In addition, current and future water use conflicts and possible solution strategies to avoid these conflicts are developed. The importance of such projects becomes even more obvious when one considers that the analysis shows how much water could become scarcer.

Overall, climate change is seen as an outstanding challenge to water availability, which will have a lasting impact not only on nature but also on our daily lives in the coming years. The collected insights and strategies that emerge from the various analyzes and projects are crucial to being able to overcome the challenges ahead and secure a sustainable future. Further details about the effects of climate change on water availability can be found in the publications of the Federal Environment Agency (https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/auseffekt-des-klimawandels-auf-die).