A new analysis by conservation organization WWF, By 2050, three quarters of the population and Spain’s GDP could face a high risk of water scarcity if no action is taken.. It also predicts that the cities of Seville, Granada, Córdoba and Murcia will be at the greatest risk of famine in Europe. The organization blames intensive irrigation farms, which take 80% of the country’s water, as responsible.
The organization estimates that across Europe as a whole, 17% of the continent’s population and 13% of its GDP could face risks from high to extreme water scarcity by 2050 unless governments and companies take urgent action to combat this problem.
WWF analysis shows that Europe will become even more prone to drought and water scarcity. Spain, along with Greece, will be one of the countries most at risk of experiencing water stress.. In the case of Greece, by 2050 82% of its population and GDP is expected to be dependent on areas of high or extreme risk due to lack of water.
For all these reasons, WWF is calling for a change in the country towards a new water management model and demand adjusted to available resources to ensure water for nature and people.
Intensive and industrial irrigation
For example, he still condemns it. 75% of national lands are in danger of desertificationSpain has opted for a water management model that prioritizes the use of this resource for heavily irrigated and industrialized crops in its hydrological plans. They consume 80% of the water.
WWF describes this water management as “suicide” and confirms that the overuse of resources has increased the irrigated area by 11%, as well as attacking the modernization of irrigation since 2005.
“The drought in Europe and Spain should surprise no one: water risk maps have long pointed to worsening water scarcity across the continent. Climate forecasts point to more frequent and intense heatwaves and droughts because of climate change, which will make it increasingly difficult to guarantee adequate water for the population,” denounces Teresa Gil, head of the WWF water program.
“What should scandalize everyone is that governments, administrations and companies continue to turn a blind eye to these recurring risks and increasingly base their planning and economies on the use of water, as if these risks would resolve themselves, but only on their own. Coercive measures He won’t do it because he doesn’t exist,” he adds.
illegally extracted water
WWF also cites an investigation by the NGO that revealed that. More than 88,000 hectares, 1.5 times the size of the city of Madrid, is irrigated with illegally extracted water., in four of the most important and overused aquifers affecting valuable natural areas in Spain: the rivers fed by the Daimiel, Doñana, Mar Menor and Los Arenales aquifer. In addition, it is estimated that there are around one million illegal wells, making Spain the country with the highest water consumption in Europe.
“Diversions and reservoirs are not the solution to shortages. We need another production model that stops investing in the intensification and implementation of new irrigation, promotes rainfed crops as a more sustainable option, and opposes and eliminates water theft. We must also invest in nature-based solutions to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and aquifers and make them more resilient to the effects of climate change.”
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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
