Spain is experiencing a major drought that affects the whole country due to global warming. The country faces hot winds coming from the Maghreb, more precisely from the Sahara, and temperatures reaching 40°C, far exceeding seasonal averages. According to the Spanish meteorological agency (AEMET), Spaniards must prepare for temperatures that could be the hottest on record in the country.
The heat wave particularly affects the agricultural and agri-food professions. Indeed, the drought affecting the entire Iberian Peninsula could subsequently affect France with hot winds heading towards the country, according to Alain Mazaud (climatologist interviewed by La Dépêche du Midi). In a press release, the Spanish agricultural union Coag admits that “the drought situation that almost the whole country is experiencing is seriously compromising various types of crops at the moment”. Will this problem impact France?
This climate problem is already not without consequences for France because it also affects our economy. Indeed, with a drought threatening 60% of the Iberian countryside, of which 3.5 million hectares of cereal crops have already been affected, Spanish farmers will have to produce their fruits and vegetables in greenhouses. This, in addition to reducing their production, will increase the prices of their products. French consumers will therefore experience a sharp rise in prices on food imported from Spain during their shopping.
French fishing is also affected by this exceptional drought. The desalination of sea water, which Spain is forced to do due to the evaporation of the water, makes French marine resources scarcer because of the toxic products that upset the ecosystem.
