ILEA001007204: Heatwaves, severe droughts cause Europe searing pain

Spain escaped extreme wildfires in July but summer fire threats remain, says senior firefighter

STORY: Spain escaped extreme wildfires in July but summer fire threats remain, says senior firefighter DATELINE: Aug. 5, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:27 LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE (Catalan): MARC CASTELLNOU, Head of the Forestry Action Group (GRAF) of Catalonia's fire service STORYLINE: Spain managed to avoid the extreme wildfires seen in July in countries across the Mediterranean, but with the summer far from over, the country can still expect to be hit by fires, a senior Spanish firefighter told Xinhua in an interview on Friday. SOUNDBITE (Catalan): MARC CASTELLNOU, Head of the Forestry Action Group (GRAF) of Catalonia's fire service "We're in a much better situation than we expected, because we were expecting a terrible July, like the Greeks and the Italians have had. However, we still have a long August and September ahead. The whole area of the Mediterranean has suffered a profound two-year drought that began in 2021, and we all expected a very difficult summer, li

China mobilizes resources to combat rare drought and ensure production, livelihoods

STORY: China mobilizes resources to combat rare drought and ensure production, livelihoods DATELINE: Aug. 22, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:53 LOCATION: Beijing CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ENVIRONMENT/ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of drought areas in China 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YU GUOPENG, Head of Zhouxi Township 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): XU CHENCHEN, Party official, Shangtang Township 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LI YUEBIN, Electric pumping station 5. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese):LIANG JINGCAI, Villager, Liming Village STORYLINE: China has mobilized resources to combat rare drought and ensure production, livelihoods as scorching heatwaves sweep through vast parts of the country. Since the beginning of July, the south, central and southwest regions of China have experienced droughts as a result of low precipitation and high temperatures. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, the drought has affected millions of people in nine provincial-level regions. In Jiangxi, about 1.38 million officials and locals are fighting the dro

River Rhine's low water levels spark supply worries in Germany

STORY: River Rhine's low water levels spark supply worries in Germany DATELINE: Aug. 20, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:33 LOCATION: Berlin CATEGORY: ENTERTAINMENT SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): HUANG YAN, Xinhua correspondent 2. various of River Rhine STORYLINE: STANDUP (English): HUANG YAN, Xinhua correspondent "I'm now in Dusseldolf in western Germany. Dusseldolf is on the middle strech of the River Rhine. The Rhine is the busiest waterway in Germany. Since this summer, long drought and extreme hot temperatures have caused the decrease of water levels of the River Rhine, which has affected navigation, industrial supply chain and agriculture. People fear that if the situation continues, it would cause more economic losses in the future." The River Rhine's plunging water levels are challenging transportation of goods such as coal and gasoline. Cargo ships have to carry less loads to pass the shallow passages. Transportation authorities are shifting more goods traffic onto the rail network. However, transferring car

More dry summers expected in the Netherlands: Dutch expert

STORY: More dry summers expected in the Netherlands: Dutch expert DATELINE: Aug. 20, 2022 LENGTH: 00:04:01 LOCATION: THE HAGUE, the Netherlands CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of scenes on the Afsluitdijk, a major dam and causeway in northwestern Netherlands 2. SOUNDBITE (English): MARTIN DRENTH, Water resources expert STORYLINE: The Netherlands should be prepared for more dry summers in the future, and take adaptive measures to tackle water shortages, a Dutch expert has said. The current drought in the Netherlands is among the worst in the "5 percent driest years" that have been measured in the country, said water resources expert Martin Drenth in a recent interview with Xinhua. SOUNDBITE (English): MARTIN DRENTH, Water resources expert "It's actual drought now in Holland. It's worse than the 5 percent driest years that have been measured in Holland. I think what's what would really help is some changes in how the water system is managed to try to really keep the water in the areas and store

Record hot and dry summer threatens crop yields in Spain

STORY: Record hot, dry summer threatens crop yields in Spain DATELINE: Aug. 18, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:54 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of effects of drought on agriculture 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): RAMON DEL CAMPO, Spokesperson, Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) 3. various of drought in the farmland 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): VICENTE MARTINEZ, Farmer 5. various of drought in the farmland STORYLINE: Spain is currently suffering the hottest and driest summer on record, which is having a negative effect on the yields of several important crops, such as olives, cereal, and grapes. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): RAMON DEL CAMPO, Spokesperson, Spanish Meteorological Agency (AEMET) "The July was two and a half degrees hotter than average and was the hottest month on record. The May-July period is the driest ever in Spain. This mix of heat and lack of rain has had an effect on crops." According to data published by the Coordination of Organizations of Crop Growers and Animal Farmers, the drought

Hot, dry conditions continue to batter Europe

STORY: Hot, dry conditions continue to batter Europe DATELINE: Aug. 15, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:45 LOCATION: Rome CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of views in European cities 2. SOUNDBITE (English): HE FEI, Xinhua correspondent STORYLINE: The most severe heatwave in recent memory has held its grip on most of Europe, with record high temperatures registered in multiple countries causing severe economic and health damage. The spell of unusually hot and dry weather has caused wildfires in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and elsewhere. In Spain, more than 4,000 hectares of land has been burnt in wildfires, while across Europe tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. Many countries have reported temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius. The heat and lack of water have reportedly caused many deaths across Europe, either through heat stroke or other means. The hot and dry weather is estimated in media reports to have caused billions of euros in losses from agricultural production in t

France facing large number of wildfires due to drought, heatwaves

STORY: France facing large number of wildfires due to drought, heatwaves DATELINE: Aug. 15, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:07 LOCATION: CERNON, France CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of city views in France 2. various of blocked roads 3. various of the forest 4. SOUNDBITE (French): BERNADE RUDE, Mayor of the village of Cernon STORYLINE: France is facing a large number of wildfires this summer due to drought and heatwaves sweeping across most parts of Europe. More than 47,000 hectares of land had been burnt in the country this year by August 4, according to the statistics of the European Forest Fire Information System. In the eastern department of Jura, the wildfires that broke out last Tuesday are still raging, after having destroyed over 1,050 hectares of land. Over 150 firefighters were mobilized on Sunday to bring the fire under control. SOUNDBITE (French): BERNADE RUDE, Mayor of the village of Cernon in Jura, France "The heat in the afternoon contributed to new outbreaks of fire. Last night, the situati

Heatwave continues to engulf Europe, breaking temperature records

STORY: Heatwave continues to engulf Europe, breaking temperature records DATELINE: July 24, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:20 LOCATION: Madrid/Paris/Athens/London/Amsterdam/Zagreb CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): MENG DINGBO, Xinhua correspondent 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Catalan): NARCIS PRAT, Emeritus Professor in ecology, University of Barcelona 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): PAULA MOLINA, Chief of Emergency Services Torrejon Hospital, Madrid 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): LIDIJA SRNEC, Researcher at Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service STORYLINE: Heatwave across Europe is breaking temperature records and fueling ferocious wildfires in multiple countries across the continent. STANDUP (English): MENG DINGBO, Xinhua correspondent "According to the Spanish National Meteorological Institute (AEMET), the second heatwave of this summer will sweep through the country this Sunday, with a heat warning for a total of 41 provinces, with temperatures reaching 45 degrees Celsius in southern Andalusia and some area

Europe under historic hot spell

STORY: Europe under historic hot spell DATELINE: July 20, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:43 LOCATION: Brussels CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT/SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of heatwaves in Europe 2. STANDUP 1 (English): JIN JING, Xinhua correspondent 3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CORINNE LE QUERE, Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia 4. STANDUP 2 (English): JIN JING, Xinhua correspondent 5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): CAYETANO TORRES, Coordinator of Information, Spain's State Meteorological Agency 6. STANDUP 3 (English): JIN JING, Xinhua correspondent 7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): CORINNE LE QUERE, Professor of Climate Change Science at the University of East Anglia STORYLINE: STANDUP 1 (English): JIN JING, Xinhua correspondent "Heatwaves engulfing western and southern Europe show no sign of abating. Temperature records are expected to renew in some countries and the scorching sun has claimed hundreds of lives and fueled ferocious wildfires." SOUNDBITE 1 (English): CORINNE LE QUERE, Professor of Climate Chang

Russia-Ukraine conflict worsens energy shortages in Germany

STORY: Russia-Ukraine conflict worsens energy shortages in Germany DATELINE: March 21, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:44 LOCATION: Berlin CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. STANDUP (English): HUANG YAN, Xinhua correspondent 2. SOUNDBITE (German): LUER, Retiree in Berlin STORYLINE: Oil prices in Europe have been surging since the start of the conflict in Ukraine amid fears that the European Union (EU) may ban the energy imports from Russia, a sign that the proposed embargo will inevitably backfire on its own economy. STANDUP (English): HUANG YAN, Xinhua correspondent "I'm now in Lubmin, a town in north Germany. This is a site of the Nord Stream 1 project. It imports natural gas from Russia. The project was completed in 2011 and ever since then has become the vital energy provider for Germany. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, the Western countries have been imposing sanctions against Russia, including energy export. But the German government has made it clear that it won't ban the energy import from Ru

Heatwaves, severe droughts cause Europe searing pain

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