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A30 world news
Diahuebs 3 Maart 2022

UN: Droughts, less water in Europe as warming wrecks crops

(AP) — “Herders and negative impacts. Coastal hausted. And, with no fresh
farmers have their feet damage is projected to in- water replenishing aquifers,
on the ground, but their crease at least tenfold by the salty seawater is making them
eyes on the sky.” The old end of the century — and, useless.
saying is still popular in if the 3 degree Celsius (5.4
Spain’s rural communities Fahrenheit) warming thresh- Environmentalists say land-
who, faced with recurrent old is reached, “damage costs owners who switched from
droughts, have historical- and people affected by pre- traditional crops to profit-
ly paraded sculptures of cipitation and river flooding able but thirsty ones such
saints to pray for rain. may double.” as avocados or mangoes are
the tip of a larger problem:
The saints are out again this For some coastal communi- industrial-scale, single-crop
year as large swaths of Spain ties it will be “an existential agriculture that has displaced
face one of the driest winters threat,” the report said, add- smaller, traditional farmers.
on record. Even as irrigation ing that traditional lifestyles
infrastructure boomed along of the Sami and the Nenets In Spain, the surface of arable
with industrial farming, the vent the planet from warm- and competing for scarcer peoples are already under land devoted to intensive ag-
country’s ubiquitous dams ing beyond the 1.1 degrees water — and a north adopt- threat in the European Arctic. riculture with irrigation has
and desalination plants are up Celsius (2 Fahrenheit) al- ing a more traditional Medi- increased to a quarter of the
against a looming water cri- ready gained since industrial terranean climate that could Inequality is expected to grow total in recent decades, ac-
sis that scientists have been times. provide some increased crop within and among countries cording to the Agriculture
warning about for decades. yields and forest growth, but as the continent sees more Ministry, taking over terrain
For Europe, heat and flood- with risks of its own. deaths from heatstroke, un- once used for rain-fed crops.
Not far from his orchard, ing in addition to agricultural bearable summers and irrep-
the region’s largest reservoir losses and water scarcity will If temperatures rise an ad- arable damage to ecosystems. In neighboring Portugal, au-
is down to 15% of its capac- be major climate impacts, the ditional 1.9 degrees Celsius thorities have restricted the
ity after over two months report said. And while Eu- (3.4 Fahrenheit), corn harvest Joaquín Montes, 50, is use of some reservoirs for hy-
without a drop of rain. And ropean awareness of global losses could reach 50%, es- among those set to lose more. droelectric power and irriga-
at least half of that, Camacho warming motivates policy- pecially in southern Europe, He is one of roughly 10 mil- tion amid an unusual winter
said, “is just muddy water, makers to do more, scientists the report warned. Harvests lion farmers in the European drought, prioritizing drink-
completely useless.” say the ambition and execu- of wheat, meanwhile, could Union who feed 440 million ing water.
tion of solutions vary greatly increase in the north as long consumers inside and outside
Declining agricultural yields from country to country. as warming doesn’t exceed the bloc. As water scarcity hits south-
in Europe — and the battle 2 degrees Celsius since pre- ern Europe first, followed
for diminishing water re- Extreme heat, floods and industrial levels — or 0.9 de- Sandwiched between the by Western and Central Eu-
sources, especially in the droughts will lead to wide- grees above the current aver- tourist-magnet Costa del Sol rope, the U.N. report says
southern part of the con- spread disruption of the age temperature. and the Sierra Nevada range irrigation will continue to be
tinent — are perils that lie economy, including damage in southern Spain, the ra- a solution for some to feed
ahead as global temperatures to infrastructure and energy But this is no silver lining. vines where Montes’ custard a warming continent, but it
continue to rise, the world’s supplies, the need for more From a continental perspec- apple and avocado orchards will be limited by water avail-
top climate scientists say. air conditioning and greater tive, the report says due to sit should have plenty of wa- ability.
water demand, the report combined heat and drought, ter.
Their conclusions are part warned. “substantive agricultural pro- Additional means for water-
of a report this week by the duction losses are projected But with 41% less rain since ing crops won’t even be an
United Nations’ Intergov- As warming rises faster in for most European areas October than average for the option in places like Spain’s
ernmental Panel on Climate Europe than the global mean, over the 21st century, which same period between 1980 southeast, according to food
Change released Monday. panelists paint a picture of will not be offset by gains in and 2010, dams contain al- systems expert Marta Rivera-
The panel’s periodic assess- a continent divided: an in- Northern Europe.” most no water. Private ponds Ferre, who helped review the
ments inform policymaker creasingly arid south, strug- that are supposed to last farm- report.
decisions about how to pre- gling with desertification Europe will also suffer other ers through summer are ex-

Another report alleges corruption by ex-South African leader

(AP) — Another damning report among those who allegedly received damning and have accused Zuma and
into government corruption in “gratifications” from the controver- other senior government officials of The intrigue over Bosasa’s alleg-
South Africa has recommended sial security company Bosasa so it taking bribes to award lucrative state edly corrupt relationship with Zuma
further investigations and the could maintain its grasp on state con- contracts to other corrupt business- and other senior government figures
possible prosecution of former tracts. men. deepened when the company’s CEO
President Jacob Zuma, current was killed in a car crash just months
and former cabinet ministers and Some of the bribes came in the form Zuma has denied the allegations and after the first revelations. A private
senior leaders of the ruling Afri- of monthly payments to the Jacob has criticized the commission, saying pathologist found he was already dead
can National Congress party for Zuma Foundation and the sponsor- he had not been given the chance to before the car he was in slammed into
allegedly receiving bribes. ship of Zuma’s lavish birthday par- state his side of the story. His foun- a pillar.
ties. dation said he had been denied “the
It’s the third report to come from most basic rights to be heard.”
three years of investigations, testi- Zuma was president of South Africa
monies and cross-examination of from 2009 to 2018 before he was Zuma, 79, was subpoenaed to tes-
witnesses and whistleblowers. The forced to step down by his ANC tify at the commission’s hearings but
inquiry has exposed extensive graft party amid allegations of corruption, walked out midway through his testi-
under Zuma at the top levels of gov- which led to the establishment of the mony and refused to appear again, re-
ernment in Africa’s most developed commission to investigate. He is cur- sulting in him being sentenced to 15
economy. rently standing trial on other corrup- months in jail last year for contempt
tion charges that are unrelated to the of court. He was released on medi-
In the report, Zuma, current ANC commission. cal parole after serving two months,
chairperson and energy minister although that decision is being chal-
Gwede Mantashe and former cabinet Previous reports from the commis- lenged in court on the grounds that it
minister Nomvula Mokonyane are sion of inquiry have been similarly didn’t follow proper procedures.