Climate Change

More than 5% of Switzerland’s remaining glacier ice disappeared during the past year, according to researchers, as unusually intense heatwaves stripped snow from Alpine peaks and accelerated melting at elevations where glaciers were previously expected to remain protected

Champagne production from the 2026 harvest is forecast to plunge 49%, highlighting the growing impact of drought, frost and heatwaves. Yet reserves should protect supplies temporarily, while repeated poor harvests could threaten producers, raise costs and reshape France’s wine industry

One of France’s most popular forests will reopen most of its territory this weekend after a major wildfire, giving hikers and climbers access again while authorities maintain restrictions in areas still considered vulnerable to fire and environmental damage

Kandersteg residents have learned to live beneath the unstable Spitze Stei formation, where millions of cubic metres of rock could collapse, potentially affecting Lake Oeschinen and threatening communities through landslides, debris flows and flooding downstream

Romania shut down Cernavodă nuclear plant after exceptionally low Danube River levels disrupted cooling operations, exposing Europe’s growing vulnerability to extreme heat, drought and water shortages. The shutdown threatens electricity supplies and accumulate economic pressure

Europe’s worsening drought is disrupting agriculture, transport, ecosystems and water supplies as extreme heat intensifies dryness. The EU is responding with efficiency targets, digital management, ecosystem restoration and increasingly challenging measures designed to strengthen long-term water resilience across the bloc

A swarm of jellyfish has disrupted operations at France’s largest nuclear site, forcing three reactors offline and cutting another’s output as heatwaves and changing marine conditions challenge France’s electricity production system across the summer period and national grid stability

Record-low Danube water levels have forced Hungary to shut its only nuclear power plant, creating concerns over electricity supplies as extreme heat and drought spread across Central and Eastern Europe, disrupting energy production, shipping and daily life