EU economy vulnerable to global droughts – study

The EU’s reliance on agricultural imports leaves its economy exposed to future climate change-driven droughts in exporting nations, researchers have warned.

An-EU funded study urged the EU on Wednesday to rethink its dependency on climate-vulnerable countries for key commodities, including soybean, rice and cotton, amid fears that droughts will disrupt supply and raise prices.

The analysis, carried out by the Water Footprint Network foundation, estimated that the EU sources around 38% of the 668 km3 of water it uses annually from abroad.