Parts of Spain this summer are experiencing the worst drought the country has seen in 1,200 years, as extreme heat and drought grip much of Europe.
The drought’s severity can be partially attributed to climate change, a study published in July in Nature Geoscience found, thanks to an increase in high-pressure systems in the winter that help create dry conditions in the summer. The dry weather is seriously affecting the country’s water supply: Reservoir levels in August were sitting at just 36% of their capacity, the government said last month, way below the 10-year average of 60%.
Here’s what the drought looks like in Spain right now—and the implications for key exports like olive oil.
