Mediterranean region gripped by disastrous drought

The oranges in Sicily are much smaller than usual this year — if, like these ones, they don't dry out on the tree before they are even ripe. The lack of water on the Southern Italian island is to blame. Authorities declared a drought emergency and a "state of natural disaster" at the beginning of February.

It's not just Europe that's suffering: A sprouting plant struggles in the parched Moroccan soil. According to data from the European earth observation program Copernicus, a quarter of Europe and North Africa is experiencing drought. The failure of winter rains to materialize after the devastating heatwaves of summer 2023 have caused the drought to persist in large parts of the Mediterranean.

A cow searches for fresh stalks in Sicily. Farmers don't know how to feed their animals: In spring 2023, storms swept across the island and destroyed large parts of the hay harvest. It has hardly rained since then. As everywhere in the affected region, man-made climate change is to blame, as it increases the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, droughts and heavy rainfall.

A farmer lays irrigation hoses in a potato field in Berrechid, an important agricultural region in Morocco. The drought is particularly bad in the North African country, as well as in southern Italy, Spain, Algeria and Tunisia. Last year, however, the overall situation was even more devastating: In 2023, 31.3% of the Mediterranean region was affected by drought.

The view from space makes it clear: Normally, the depicted areas around Casablanca should be green and lush in the rainy winter months instead of parched and brown. The drought is compounded by temperatures that are far above average. They recently rose to 37 degrees Celsius in February. Morocco is experiencing its sixth consecutive year of drought.

The situation is similarly difficult in neighboring Tunisia. This farmer was at least able to harvest some olives in November 2023. Olive production, one of the country's most important agricultural products, has fallen by around 30%. Drought and excessively high temperatures are also to blame. According to Copernicus, last January was the warmest in the world since records began.

Sunbathing in winter? 2024 was the warmest January in the Spain's history. In some regions, such as here in Malaga, the thermometer climbed to almost 30 degrees Celsius (86 Farenheit) — temperatures that are usually seen from June onwards. The drought in Andalusia, which has persisted for years, has been exacerbated by the warm winter weather.

Northern Spain is also suffering from a lack of water: Boats are stranded at the reservoir in Vilanova de Sau, in Catalonia. After three years of drought, the water level of one of the most important reservoirs for supplying water to Barcelona has fallen below 4%, the lowest level in history. A state of emergency has been declared in Catalonia, and water consumption has been restricted.

At the beginning of February, the Agly riverbed in the French Pyrenees is almost completely dry, and there is little hope for improvement: Copernicus predicts above-average temperatures for the Mediterranean region in spring 2024. This is expected to be accompanied by less snow in the mountains, whose meltwater is crucial to filling rivers.