The European Commission (EC) has warned that Spain could be one of the countries most exposed to the affects of climate change in the continent and has stressed the need for the country to protect its water resources.
Speaking at the Spanish agriculture ministry’s ‘Water shortages and drought’ congress held this week in Madrid, EC representative Emmy Korodima told delegates that climate change threatened southern areas of the country, reported news agency EFE.
“Agriculture is very exposed to climate change and the zones most affected will be in the south and south-east of Europe,” Ms Korodima said.
The EC representative argued that Spain’s agriculture sector needed to adapt to climate change, while at the same time “helping to mitigate” its affects.
She said the Commission would provide support directed at modernising agricultural facilities and protecting the environment, the agency reported.
Bernard Itier from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research told delegates that the Spanish agricultural sector needed to “adapt the demand for water to the supply”.
Mr Itier said that the water shortage problems the sector faces can be solved by reducing the usage of water and improving production systems, arguing that reducing the demand for water could feasibly be achieved by altering agricultural processes.
