According to the European Drought Observatory, more than a third of the continent is currently under a drought warning, with 10% experiencing severe drought.
In the Netherlands this is almost completely caused by farmers (that are overrepresented in the water boards) which keep the groundwater level low for better yields. This obviously backfires during the summer when the levels get too low.
Do you mean they get some direct yield benefit from a low water table, or that they water their crops a lot for high yield, and that results in the low water table?
Genuine question: Is that good or bad? What kind of farmers? Food or tulips? Humans gotta eat, and I thought Netherlands produces a lot of Europe's agricultural output
Farmers as being described here are not some podunk hillbillies living off the land. These are massive corporate entities who have cannibalized their competition over the last 60 years. They don't toil in the fields, their hordes of underpaid Southeast Asian and African immigrants do that for them, while they drive around in Land Rovers.
This is not something done out of necessity, this is done out of keeping their profit margins as high as possible.
It's not even for better yield, it's for better access with heavy machinery
And the Netherlands exports too much as this water issue is one of a few ways in which our agriculture intensity is harming the long term health of nature and the fertility of the land itself
Global warming won't even be the real issue for us. Once we have issues like fish stock collapse and crop shortages, people will be happy enough to position themselves as the new greatest threat to humanity.
I'm surrounded by middle aged blonde soccer moms and white dads that peaked in high school. They're ideal targets for Bill Gates, being the prime human specimens they are. Ofcourse we get micro drones.
This summer in Missouri is terrible. We’ve had some light rain here and there, but only for a few minutes that a time and it’s been that way for months. Dry as a bone here. Chances of rain constantly and most of it never materializes.