Azernews.Az

Ulviyya Poladova

Read more

Human-caused climate change is intensifying heatwaves and worsening drought conditions, AzerNEWS reports.

According to a new analysis by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium, prolonged heatwaves and drought are contributing to agricultural losses, more frequent wildfires, and declining river levels. France has recorded its worst corn harvest in the past 50 years, while Romania has lost more than one million hectares of farmland.

The report notes that drying rivers are disrupting inland shipping and threatening energy production.

The analysis found that climate change has made agricultural droughts five times more likely in Western Europe. In Eastern Europe, where drought conditions have lasted for the past six months, the likelihood has increased elevenfold. Thus, the risk of evaporation driven by extreme heat has increased by approximately 80 times. In Eastern Europe, researchers estimate that climate change made heat-driven evaporative demand around 40 times more likely during the January-June period.

The researchers also noted that climate change has altered the thresholds for drought. If this year's rainfall deficit had occurred under past climate conditions, it would likely have resulted in a much milder drought. However, higher temperatures are causing soil moisture to evaporate more rapidly, making today's droughts significantly more severe.

Mariam Zakaria, a researcher at Imperial College London, said that global temperatures are currently about 1.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

"If global emissions push warming to the projected 2.8 degrees Celsius, the likelihood of extreme evaporative conditions could double," she said.

Zakaria also warned that unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced rapidly and comprehensively, Europe is heading toward a future in which scorching, dry summers occur far more frequently.

It should be noted that Europe faced record-shattering and deadly heatwaves in mid-2026, driven by intense early summer temperatures. Western Europe recorded its hottest June ever, with peak temperatures reaching 48.4 °C (119.1 °F) in Italy in July. The extreme heat triggered severe droughts, low river levels, and massive wildfires across France and Spain.

Image: Reuters