European policymakers are battling to get to grips with a growing water crisis ahead of what researchers fear could be yet another climate crisis-fueled summer of drought. Water resources in Europe are growing increasingly scarce because of the deepening climate emergency, with record-breaking temperatures through spring and a historic winter heatwave taking a visible toll on the region's rivers and ski slopes. Reservoirs in Mediterranean countries like Italy have fallen to water levels typically associated with summer heatwaves in recent weeks, threatening agricultural production, while protests have broken out over water shortages in both France and Spain. It comes as temperatures are poised to climb through summer and many fear Europe's already "very precarious" water problem could get even worse. "We are actually getting problems with the water supply here — we have to think about this."

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Persons: Europe's, Torsten Mayer Organizations: Arenas, Arenas del Rey, Austria's University of Graz, European Union, University of Graz Locations: Arenas del, Granada, Spain, Europe, Italy, France, Germany, Austria