Drought hit tourist destinations – Lake Garda and Catalonia

Popular tourist destinations have been affected by the water shortage.

Southern Europe has already been affected by drought – summer has barely begun.

– You can say with some certainty that it is because of climate change, says climatologist Michael Tjernstrom.

It has been reported that the Swedish summer this year could be as hot as the record summer of 2018. There were warnings of drought, wildfires, and harvest problems.

But in southern Europe, drought and heat have already begun.

– You don’t have to imagine that it’s possible to explain the heat and drought prevailing at the moment, but you have to look at a longer period of time, says Michael Tjernström, a professor of meteorology.

Screen zoom

Wading in the tourist lake

Drought has hit many popular tourist destinations across Europe hard.

Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy, has its lowest water level in 70 years. People delve into where they normally approach and write VG.

The lake is an important freshwater reservoir in Italy and when water levels drop, agriculture, tourism and shipping are endangered, according to the Italian news agency. I forget.

– You can’t blame anyone. Michael Tjernstrom says the weather caused it and the weather is controlled by chance.

Screen zoom

Po River loses water

Moreover, the Po River, the longest river in Italy, with a length of 652 km, suffered from a lack of water. The river contains 60-70 percent less water than normal.

– That’s because it was dry and hot earlier. The usual annual cycle in the Mediterranean region is that there is hardly any rain in the summer and most of the precipitation falls during the winter months. It is he who fills the lakes and makes the water flow into the river.

Last year, southern Europe was hit by what the Carbon Brief called the worst drought in 500 years, when at least 15,000 people died, according to reports. VG.

Killing rabbits with gas – to save the harvest

The hot summer of 2022 was followed by a dry winter. In northeastern Spain, specifically in Catalonia, a drastic decision has been taken to save this year’s fragile harvest.

Screen zoom

The rabbits that have infested the area threaten crops that have survived the drought. Now 250,000 rabbits will be gassed in an effort to control populations and harvests.

When the winter was dry, the system became unbalanced. The water tank that should have been filled was not filled. Thus there is now a shortage of water in the summer.

– It’s not something that happens now all of a sudden, but it comes year after year and you can say with some certainty that it’s because of climate change.