Weather & Science
Europe’s Parched Earth Hits Corn as Climate Crisis Resounds
- Corn fields from France to Romania suffer under heat waves
- Extreme heat is also hurting power, transport and chemicals
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Searing temperatures are shriveling corn crops across Europe, in the latest sign of a deepening crisis that spans everything from Rhine River transport to Spanish olive growers.
Sown in the spring, corn is under stress due to a lack of rain as the region struggles with rolling heat waves. Three-quarters of Romania, Europe’s biggest producer, is affected by drought of varying severity, while major grower France had its driest July on record. Farmers in parts of eastern Germany could lose their entire crop.