Climate Crisis Heat Is Sucking Europe's Soils Dry – Extreme 2026

The climate crisis is intensifying drought across Europe, with extreme heat sucking soils dry and threatening food and energy supplies. A new scientific analysis reveals that record-breaking heatwaves have made the hot atmosphere strongly evaporate water from rivers, lakes, soils and plants. Conditions were made 80 times more likely by global heating in western Europe and 40 times more likely in eastern Europe, according to the study.

How Climate Crisis-Driven Heat Is Redefining Drought

Droughts have traditionally been linked to low rainfall, but western Europe experienced a wet winter this year. The scientists behind the study emphasize that high temperatures, supercharged by the climate crisis, are now the key factor driving extreme drought across the continent. The analysis classified today's western Europe drought as extreme, noting it would have been only moderate in a world without human-caused climate change.

The level of soil dryness in the west was made five times more likely by fossil fuel pollution, and 11 times more likely in the east. This shift has major implications for water management, agriculture, and energy production.

Impacts on Water, Food, and Energy

Many European countries have already implemented emergency water restrictions. Most parts of southern England are now under a hosepipe ban. Deadly wildfires have raged through Spain and France, while farmers face some of the driest soils on record. The agricultural sector is particularly hard hit: about 9 million tonnes of grain are expected to be lost across Europe. France is facing its worst maize harvest in 50 years, and Romanian farmers have lost over a million hectares of crops.

Rivers are running low, cutting the generation of clean hydropower and restricting cargo ships. The Rhine at Lobith in the Netherlands is now lower than the minimum level seen in the hot summer of 1976. This disruption is likely to push up the price of food and energy, hitting low-income households hardest.

Comparison of Drought Severity: Then vs. Now

The table above illustrates how climate crisis-driven heat has amplified drought severity across Europe, turning moderate conditions into emergencies.

Key Takeaways

• Climate crisis-driven heat is the primary driver of Europe's extreme drought, not just lack of rainfall.
• Western Europe's drought is 80 times more likely due to global heating.
• Soil dryness has increased dramatically, impacting agriculture and water availability.
• Energy production from hydropower is declining, and cargo shipping is disrupted.
• Food and energy prices are expected to rise, affecting low-income households.

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