Dürre alarm in Germany: Climate causes water shortages!

Dürre alarm in Germany: Climate causes water shortages!

The global drought areas have changed dramatically in the past 120 years. According to an analysis based on the Dürreindex Spei, the precipitation and evaporation data takes into account, the regions affected by drought have doubled since 1900. Today, more than a fifth of the global land area is affected by these extreme drought, while it was only a tenth in 1900. 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 earth. This enables the drought to endanger more and more habitats and agriculture, which results in serious economic consequences. This information presents [Kleine Zeitung] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/service/newsticker/chronik/19804728/duerreflaechen-inn half-von-120-jahrt).

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that between 2000 and 2020, 40 percent of the global state area experienced more and more intensive drought than in the period from 1950 to 2000. The main cause of this relocation is climate change, increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and reduced snow cover and glacier reserves. In addition, harmful agricultural practices, design and the sealing of areas lead to a further tightening of the drought problem. These trends also confirm the research results of [Tagesspiegel] (https://www.tagesspiegel.de/wissen/klima-oecd-durreflachen-inn half-from 12-year-etwa-verdoppelt-13867024.html), which has been increased by the winter in Germany by up to 30 percent, while Summer settlements have dropped by 10 percent.

effects on the environment and economy

Extreme drought not only bring the ecosystems out of balance, but also significantly endanger 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 Environmental Office, emphasizes the urgency of developing reliable water strategies and promoting the economical use of this valuable well.

A project by the Federal Environment Office, known as Wadklim, examines the effects of climate change on water availability in Germany. The aim of this initiative is to analyze the change in the water supply, the floor water balance and the groundwater availability. In addition, current and future water usage conflicts and possible solution strategies are being developed to avoid these conflicts. The importance of such projects becomes all the more obvious when you consider that the analysis shows how much water could be scarce.

Overall, climate change is viewed as an outstanding challenge for water availability, which will not only affect nature, but also our daily life in the coming years. The knowledge and strategies gathered that emerges from the various analyzes and projects are crucial in order to be able to manage the upcoming challenges and to secure a sustainable future. Further details on the effects of climate change on water availability can be viewed in the publications of the Federal Environment Agency (https://www.umweltbundamt.de/publikationen/fahrff.