Europe's Drying Crisis: 4,200 Dead in Spain, Sweden's Rivers Vanish as Drought Grips the Continent

Sweden is facing an acute water emergency as streams across the country have shrunk to mere puddles, forcing an emergency relocation of threatened freshwater mussels stranded by extremely low water levels [1]. The situation is so severe that river pearl mussels, a species already under threat, are being moved to safer locations as their habitats disappear [1]. Large parts of the country are currently experiencing critically low water levels [1].

Meanwhile, Spain is confronting what researchers call a "critical vulnerability" to climate change, with extreme heat, devastating wildfires, and severe drought converging this summer [2]. The summer of 2026 has been the hottest on record, with June the third hottest ever and July the hottest in history [2]. According to the MoMo mortality monitoring system, more than 4,200 deaths this summer are attributable to high temperatures [2]. Spain has already experienced four heatwaves, including one in late June that the state weather agency AEMET called "historic" [2].

The heat and lack of water have fueled a catastrophic wildfire season, with fires burning 250,000 hectares by mid-August according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition [2]. The European EFFIS system puts the figure even higher at 290,000 hectares [2]. This summer has also seen the most destructive wildfire in Spain's history, with the fire in Burgohondo destroying around 50,000 hectares [2]. Over 90,000 people have been evacuated or confined due to fire danger [2].

The drought has spread to traditionally wet northern regions of Spain, with three out of four municipalities in Galicia on alert or pre-alert for water shortages [2]. Dozens of towns in Asturias, La Rioja, and Castilla y León are now relying on water trucks for supply [2]. Even in Mallorca, water reserves have fallen to 39%, leading to a new regional system for trucking in water [2].

Experts say this is not random bad luck. "It is not divine punishment or a streak of bad weather," said Julio Barea, head of the water program at Greenpeace. "It is the inevitable result of managing water under the false premise that it is infinite" [2].

A new study from the University of Oviedo, which reviewed 75 years of disaster data, confirms the trend, finding a "very marked increase in the frequency of disasters in the last twenty years" [2]. The researchers state that Spain is a climate change hotspot with "superior vulnerability" in terms of "severity of impact, attributable mortality, and population exposure to natural risks" [2].

The crisis extends beyond Europe, with Sudan's farmland lying empty as severe drought dries up the banks of the Nile, threatening millions with starvation [3]. Indonesian authorities are also fighting drought conditions in 1,229 locations as a strong El Nino weather pattern continues to dry up water sources [4].