Severe droughts hit countries extending from the Middle East through Europe.
Iraq has seen water levels along its two main rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, fall by more than a quarter and is grappling with its driest year since 1933, while Reuters catalogued water shortages in Hungary, Serbia, Syria, and Turkey, harming livestock, forcing farmers to abandon their land, and driving officials to impose restrictions on the use of water.
The economic consequences of the droughts — which are made more frequent and extreme by climate change — are huge: The cost of a drought today is twice what it was in 2000, and the OECD projects those costs will rise at least a further 35% by 2035.