Europe’s summer drought is so extreme that desertification is a growing threat

Europe is experiencing an extreme summer drought, raising the threat of desertification. In northern Serbia, the Danube River has shriveled into a few ponds, leaving fisherman Dusan Jovanovic to save juvenile fish that are in danger due to low water levels and temperatures exceeding 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Drought has ravaged ecosystems and businesses across the region, leading to significant damage in the fish industry, estimated in millions of euros.

Hungary's national meteorological service reported that 99% of its lands are currently under severe or extreme drought conditions. This has caused 1,588 hectares of fish ponds to dry out, killing nearly 280 metric tons of fish at 20 farms, resulting in a revenue loss of 1.3 billion forints ($4.2 million). In Romania, where carp farmers have experienced three or four years of production cycles being impacted by the current heatwave, water-use policies prioritizing irrigation for agriculture have exacerbated the situation.

Czech fish farmers have taken emergency measures such as reducing or suspending feeding, aerating ponds, or draining them. Meanwhile, Bosnian trout breeders are struggling to survive the summer heat, with one farmer adding liquid oxygen to the water during the season. Slovenian emergency teams have been pumping water into Lake Pristava to prevent fish from suffocating, but they worry it may not be enough.

In Serbia, fishermen believe moving the endangered fish to another location is the only solution amid extreme temperatures.