Overview
- Copernicus confirmed that western Europe recorded its hottest June-to-July period on record, and satellite images show shrunken glaciers, browned vegetation and lower river levels across large parts of the region.
- Low river flows have forced some nuclear reactors in Romania, Hungary and France to reduce output or shut down because they cannot get enough water for cooling.
- Gas storage across the EU is well below the seasonal norm and markets are pricing higher winter costs, which combined with reduced nuclear output raises the risk of tight supplies and higher bills this winter.
- The heat has driven the worst wildfire season in France on record, damaged crops, disrupted shipping on the Rhine and Danube, and contributed to thousands of heat-related deaths and large economic losses.
- Governments have convened emergency committees, declared drought or energy alerts, and are debating faster adaptation spending and short-term energy measures as political pressure grows over the pace of the green transition.