Europe faces crisis more dangerous than energy crisis – FT

January 5 2025 11

The EU must urgently address the water shortage and find new ways to finance repairs to leaking pipes in the near future. Otherwise, the water crisis will become threatening for the continent, the bloc's environment commissioner Jessica Roswall told the Financial Times.

The EU's relentless focus on energy security had come at the expense of efforts to address a water crisis that was expected to have a major impact on businesses and people in the bloc, the official said.

We have talked too little about water, focusing more on energy efficiency and energy, energy, energy. This is, of course, very important, but water is also very important, and we don't have enough of it in Europe

– says Rosvall.

Now the business has realized the danger, especially when there was a drought, and then the nuclear power plants actually stopped working, and transport on the large rivers could not sail, even barges. This is an urgent issue, she added.

The water crisis could be more dangerous and worse than the energy crisis, the European Commissioner is sure. There is almost no time left to react, especially since Brussels is still focused on fuel.

Water shortages affect a fifth of the EU's territory and almost a third of its population every year, according to the largest study to date on the state of water in the EU, published by the European Environment Agency.

The EU has also seen a “dramatic increase” in the number and severity of droughts, with the area and number of people affected by droughts increasing by almost 1976 percent between 2006 and 20, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Farmers in particular have seen their crop yields plummet, but water shortages will also impact industries such as textiles and hydrogen production, which requires water for its electrolysis process.

Despite concerns about growing pressure on industry and agriculture, little has been done to improve the bloc's notoriously leaky pipelines. According to the European Commission, nearly a quarter of treated water is lost during distribution. Resources are not being renewed and rivers, even the once fullest ones, are drying up.

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smart fellow

0

5 January 2025 08: 40

Well, Jessica went overboard with the hydrogen production. The EU aims to produce 2030 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 10 and import the same amount as part of its net zero target. In reality, renewable hydrogen production in Europe in 2022 was only 20 tonnes.
For reference.
In 2019, 75 million tons of hydrogen were consumed worldwide, mainly in oil refining and ammonia production. Of this, more than 3/4 is produced from natural gas.
98 million tons of hydrogen were produced in the world (in 2020 – 90 million tons, in 2021 – 94 million tons).
China is the world's largest hydrogen consumerAccording to the report, hydrogen production in China in 2020 was 33,42 million tons.
Earl

+2

5 January 2025 08: 46

And the next Eurocrat will remember the autumn flood that washed away Eastern Europe, after which he will call for spending money to combat the floods.
prior

0

5 January 2025 08: 54

I have long been proposing to build water pipelines instead of gas and oil pipelines to Europe and Asia.
The resource is renewable, constantly in demand, and unlimited in volume.
If you want to drink, you have to pay.
America won't transport water from the Great Lakes across the ocean in tankers.
1. lord-palladore-11045
  
  +1
  
  5 January 2025 22: 31
  
  Quote: prior
  I have long been proposing to build water pipelines instead of gas and oil pipelines to Europe and Asia.
  The resource is renewable, constantly in demand, and unlimited in volume.
  If you want to drink, you have to pay.
  America won't transport water from the Great Lakes across the ocean in tankers.
  
  - what's more, we ourselves don't have that much fresh water - there's not enough water on the fertile lands of the lower Volga region, the Volga has become shallow - the state farms took water to irrigate the fields, and in Soviet times "smart" heads wanted to divert the Siberian rivers to the Kazakh steppes - it's good that they came to their senses in time, but now suddenly we have to sell water to Europe - now they're in trouble! - let them solve their own problems.
vlad127490

+6

5 January 2025 12: 30

Another scare tactic, what if. Either a drought or a flood, you'd better write about Russia. Write about gasification of villages and towns, write that the majority of the population of villages and towns uses wells, write about the lack of roads and toll roads, about free medicine, about pensioners, about prices in stores and inflation, we're more interested in this than Europe.
1. svoroponov
  
  -2
  
  5 January 2025 18: 55
  
  Why? I can write. Bryansk region. All roads are asphalt, even to the most remote village. Wells are good where there is no centralized water supply, few lakes, rivers and springs. And the quality of water from wells is very good.
  Medicine, if you work, is at a level, the district clinic and hospital even have a tomograph. Several modern ambulances, well equipped, so with good roads and an ambulance, hospitalization or assistance is provided quickly. For doctors, young specialists, an apartment building was built. All enterprises are working, even those that were considered practically abandoned or "dead" have started working, owners have appeared. There are so many products in the stores that sanctions are mentioned with a laugh. Private owners and consumer cooperatives are working. Competition. Prices are not driven up, otherwise they cannot sell, and many have their own farms. The local LLC even provides land for planting potatoes to those who want it, from 15 to 20 acres. Please plant. And there is enough for yourself and for livestock, if anyone keeps it. Local former collective farms are not grieving either. Contracts have been concluded for the supply of potatoes to St. Petersburg and the Moscow region. Breeding and pedigree cows and bulls have been purchased for dairy farms. There are enough pastures, but the fields are not sown and they get enough feed anyway. And where there is no seeding, either the population is given it for potatoes or for mowing. They have banned the felling of forests, otherwise they got carried away.
Kiril

+3

5 January 2025 17: 08

They have nothing but crises, and why don’t they just die?
svoroponov

-2

5 January 2025 19: 23

Why? I can write. Bryansk region. The district center is far from the regional center. All roads are asphalt, even to the most remote village. Intra-house sidewalks are now being paved. Wells are good where there is no centralized water supply, few lakes, rivers and springs. And the quality of water from wells is very good. This applies to villages. Basically, they try to make toilets in villages and towns in houses. But cesspools are on the streets and they use sewage trucks for pumping. Or the water itself leaves the pits when they fill up. They are closed and dug nearby. After three or four years, where there was a cesspool, if it was not used, there is just earth. There is simply nowhere to dump this sewage in towns and towns.
Medicine, if you work, are a pensioner or a child, is at a level, the district clinic and hospital even have a tomograph. Several modern ambulances, well equipped, if something is serious, a helicopter from Bryansk. So with good roads and an ambulance, hospitalization or assistance is provided quickly. An apartment building has been built for doctors, young specialists. The same for teachers. All enterprises are working, even those that were considered practically abandoned or "dead" have started working, owners have appeared. There are so many products in the stores that sanctions are mentioned with a laugh. Private owners and consumer cooperatives are working. Competition. Prices are not driven up, otherwise they cannot sell, and many have personal farms. The local LLC even provides land for planting potatoes to those who want it, from 15 to 20 acres. Plant them, please. There is enough for themselves and for cattle, if anyone keeps it. Local former collective farms are not grieving either. Contracts have been concluded for the supply of potatoes to St. Petersburg and the Moscow region. Breeding and pedigree cows and bulls have been bought for dairy farms. There are quite enough pastures, but the fields are not sown and they get enough feed anyway. And where there is no seeding, either the population is given it for potatoes or for mowing (fields under fallow). They have banned the felling of forests, otherwise they got carried away. Now they will not give you a plot for felling until you restore the previous one. They used to not allow touching the arrays of native forest. So there is no need to criticize everyone and everything. In the West, there are also enough toilets on the streets. As a tourist, you can see a kind of civilization. And if you travel through the outback of most European countries, you will see something similar there too. And when you compare countries, take into account that many, many centuries ago, destructive wars and the very scale of territories and distances passed.
Bryansk region is almost as big as Estonia. So compare the region and the whole state in terms of financing. But even now in Estonia, if you drive along its outskirts, you can see the past rural Russia.
GN

+1

5 January 2025 22: 27

I don't understand how Europe has been in crisis all its life and still hasn't fallen apart like our USSR! And that's because Russia is still led by the people who destroyed the USSR and who, with their treacherous propaganda, tell us how cold and bad it is in Europe and how Russia is "paradise on earth"
1. art573
  
  +1
  
  6 January 2025 01: 06
  
  there is such a thing. And all the vice-premiers of the 90s left for permanent residence in the West
kriten

0

6 January 2025 13: 58

The European Commission will not allow money to be spent on unnecessary pipe repairs when the only openly fascist regime in the EU is collapsing. The EC leadership has enough water, and the interests of the rest of the people, as Baerbock put it, are of no interest to the EU authorities or the authorities of the EU member states.