Even though droughts and water scarcity are affecting more and more parts of Europe, an estimated 20-40 % of Europe’s available water is still being wasted, for instance, through leakages in the distribution system or inadequate uptake of water efficiency technologies.

whereas making farming more sustainable is becoming an ever more important objective for operators, given the need to control costs in order to safeguard incomes, on the one hand, and to respond to the depletion and degradation of natural resources (soil, water, air and biodiversity) on the other; whereas agriculture accounts for 70 % of the world’s fresh water use, and whereas water availability is already a major limitation on agricultural production in some regions of the EU and globally; whereas the use of drinking water in agriculture can be significantly reduced by the effective use of modern irrigation techniques and by growing ...[+++]crops suited to the local climate.

Reduced water availability, wind damages, higher temperatures, increased bushfires and greater disease pressure will lead to damage to forests.

A certain degree of climate change is however inevitable, with significant impacts owing to increased temperatures and rainfall, water scarcity and more frequent storms.

also highlights the fact that GDP does not cover the effects of factors with an impact on the environment, such as scarce resources, carbon emissions, the impact of pollutants, water quality, biodiversity, the impact of urban concentration or rural depopulation.

whereas climate change may exacerbate the potential for conflict in international relations, for example through climate-induced migration, loss of land and border disputes arising from floods and receding coastlines, as well as conflicts over resources owing to shrinking arable land, growing water scarcity or deforestation,