Europe's climate-driven drought and heat crisis

Europe is experiencing severe droughts and heat waves driven primarily by climate change and rising temperatures rather than low rainfall, with major rivers like the Rhine and Danube reaching record-low levels and causing widespread impacts on agriculture, shipping, and public health. Scientists attribute the conditions to 'atmospheric thirst' caused by increased evaporation from extreme heat, while media outlets have misreported the underlying causes.

This is a long-running storyline that has developed over 13 days. The homepage highlights its most recent activity, so the outlet count there reflects the latest wave. The totals above cover the full run.