According to specialists studying the impact of global warming on France's water supplies, the country's south fears running out of water by 2050.
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It is better to be prepared for water scarcity in France. The government's massive "water plan," announced on Thursday, is all the more anticipated because the situation is forecast to deteriorate in the coming years. It is a fact that the majority of the people who live in the United States do not have access to the internet. The term "responsible" refers to the ability of a person to make a decision without regard for the consequences of that decision.
Our country's temperature has already risen by 1.8°C from the pre-industrial period (greater than the +1.1°C recorded globally). Warming might reach 4°C to 5°C by the end of the century, according to scientists. Christophe Béchu has declared that France must prepare for a +4°C situation.
The repercussions of global warming are already being felt. According to a research published in June by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, renewable water resources (supplied by rivers and net precipitation) have therefore fallen by 14% between 2002 and 2018, compared to the previous decade.
Because it rained less, but also because evapotranspiration (the amount of water lost via evaporation and transpiration by plants) rose with warmth. Water is not "lost" as a result of the vast water cycle. Yet, when precipitation is less frequent and more intense, it tends to flow off rather than recharge groundwater. Moreover, if they arise in the spring, they are absorbed by the plants before they are beneficial for agriculture.
According to the numbers frequently used by the government, these resources will decline by 10% to 40% during the next thirty years. These estimations are based on a study conducted by a hundred experts and researchers that was quite detailed but is now a bit old: named "Explore 2070," it was conducted between 2010 and 2012.
Under the supervision of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (INRAE), experts have been working to revise them since 2021. The wording on the t-shirt says it all. A research anxiously sought by water authorities to forecast the management of this valuable resource.
Yet, some significant tendencies may be found. Then there's the fact that it's been a while since I've posted anything. "Precipitation in the north of the nation will be higher in winter and lower in summer than it is now, though the yearly balance is difficult to determine at the time." Everything will be determined by the temperature and evapotranspiration trends. In a gloomy scenario, the future in the south appears less unclear, with soil drying off and a likely reduction in river flow by the end of the century," he adds.
Jean-Michel Soubeyroux, a climate change expert at Météo-France, concurs. "The average annual flow of the rivers will decrease in the southern part, owing to reduced precipitation but also to a lack of snow." The snowpack is not only less plentiful, but it is also melting faster. It makes a significant contribution to river regimes. The wording is a little different, but it's the same idea.
According to a recent research on the Rhône, the river's low water flows, which have already reduced by 7% to 13% between 1960 and 2020, might decline by 20% during the next thirty years. In particular because the amount of snow, which has already decreased by around 10%, will drop further by 20% to 40% by 2055, depending on the sector.
Jean-Michel Soubeyroux, a climate change expert at Météo-France, concurs. "The average annual flow of the rivers will decrease in the southern part, owing to reduced precipitation but also to a lack of snow." The snowpack is not only less plentiful, but it is also melting faster. It makes a significant contribution to river regimes. The wording is a little different, but it's the same idea.
According to a recent research on the Rhône, the river's low water flows, which have already reduced by 7% to 13% between 1960 and 2020, might decline by 20% during the next thirty years.