The hot weather was good at first.
We were grateful for the sunshine and warmth after the wet winter and spring we had.
But as the weeks of day-to-day sunshine, the continual record-breaking temperatures, and hosepipe bans across more than half of the UK remain, the sun is losing its shine.
Seven areas of the UK have now been declared as in drought by the Environment Agency after weeks of record-low rainfall and soaring temperatures, with reservoir levels well below what is normal for this time of year.
And it is the third drought the UK has faced in five years – a clear sign these dry summers are becoming the norm, not the exception.
We take our water consumption for granted – it’s always just there, at the turn of a tap.
But rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater can’t refill as fast as we’re drawing them down, and every drop we save now will help protect wildlife, farmland, and our own future supply down the line.
And it’s not just here – Europe’s drier summers are already reshaping the wider environment, not just water supplies.
This year has been one of the continent’s worst wildfire seasons on record with around 1,200 fires burning (more than double its annual average), and with over 250,000 hectares burned – an area roughly the size of Luxembourg.
And it’s not only in Europe – we’ve seen them in Scotland and much closer to home – just over the border in Suffolk.
The pattern behind this is becoming familiar – a wet winter allows shrubs and grass to flourish, then a hot, dry summer turns that vegetation into fuel, which with strong winds and irresponsible people with cigarette ends or disposable barbecues, leads to nothing but disaster.
Beyond the immediate danger to homes and lives, wildfires strip areas of vegetation, increasing flood and erosion risk once rain finally returns, and release large amounts of stored carbon back into the atmosphere – feeding the very warming that caused them, not to mention the wildlife and essential habitats it destroys.
While the hosepipe ban feels like a massive inconvenience, and lugging watering cans around a garden like hard work, we need to remember that we have caused this, and the only way out of it is to change our habits and lifestyles if we want to protect the planet we all live on.
