Extreme Drought: What New Climate Zones Mean for Our Lives

Global warming is creating a pattern that results in prolonged droughts. A high-pressure weather pattern is building up over northern Europe, preventing the advance of moist air.

Although there is heavy rain in the winter, it is only the topsoil that has benefited from moisture. Deep soil layers were not supplied with sufficient water, which had devastating consequences for nature and agriculture.

The Drought Monitor at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research shows that agriculture must struggle with persistent and severe droughts, particularly in eastern Germany.

Geoecologist Fred Hattermann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research investigates the effects of climate change and the consequences of extreme droughts.

today: How far can we reasonably look into the future?

today: What does this mean for the safety of our food?

Haterman: The fact is that we produce a lot of grain in Germany, a lot of which goes to fattening animals. We can change course here, because it’s generally a good idea to communicate well. If individual regions suffer from drought, there is a chance that produce will be obtained elsewhere. When it happens in many places in the world, when in many places in the world it has below-average returns, the markets react and then most of the time it doesn’t hit us head on.

Here it is simply more expensive, but in other regions it is unaffordable. And then it really hits those people.

today: Another area seems to be Spain. Is there really a shift in climatic zones happening there?

Haterman: It becomes clear. It is clear that Spain is one of the countries, in general the Mediterranean region, which is particularly affected by climate change and these consequences can be seen very clearly.

In addition to that, there is also the fact that resources are being overused in Spain. This was the case before climate change. There is a lot of illegal groundwater drilling and transfers from areas that have very little water themselves. And a lot of it is produced for us so that we can get cheap food.

today: When climate zones change, are there winners and losers? Or are we all losers in the end?

Haterman: Yes, there are areas where you can now grow or grow wine where you couldn’t before, where you can have two crops or grow winter crops where you only grow summer crops.

In general, this means that the way of life to which we have adapted is no longer valid.

in many areas. This creates uncertainty and this uncertainty can lead to poor harvests and shortages in global markets. It’s hard to talk about the winners. Eventually, people also migrate to places where it becomes really difficult because, for example, the temperatures are too high to be outdoors, let alone work. We are particularly affected by this.