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By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

Summertime and the living is not easy as extreme heat threatens to dry out crops from the Black Sea to the United States.

Record temperatures in major global growing regions have delayed planting and hurt crops as the impact of climate change intensifies, with swathes of farmland in Russia, China, India and parts of the United States experiencing extreme heat and below-normal rainfall.

“The weather forecast for the Black Sea region is a big red flag,” said Chris Hyde, a meteorologist at U.S.-based Maxar, with dryness and below-normal rains expected for July and August.

Forecast dryness in the Black Sea breadbasket is likely to stunt sunflower and corn yields, while heavy rain in the U.S. – after near-record temperatures – threatens to take a toll on crops, squeezing world supplies and pushing prices higher.

Also on my radar today:

A view shows the partially dry Lake Montbel at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains as France faces another scorching summer. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier 

Hot weather in southern Russia will hit crops because of a lack of soil moisture, with lower precipitation and heat also expected in Urals, Western Siberia and Transbaikalia, Russia’s Hydrometeorological Centre forecast.

Southern and eastern Ukraine have also seen hot and dry weather, with precipitation between May 1 and June 10 only 20-50% of normal, according to the state weather forecaster, with drought hindering development of winter and spring crops.

Meteorologists forecast scorching temperatures in most parts of the European Union this week, just as record heat and dry weather are threatening crops in other major global growing regions, hitting world supplies and pushing prices higher.

“The month of May in Ukraine turned out to be one of the driest for the last 30 years,” state forecasters said. 

“We are approaching a critical stage. One week will already lead to a fall in output. If there are two weeks like that there will be major damage and it could go very fast,” Vincent Braak, an analyst at consultancy Strategie Grain, said. 

In India, millions of people face water shortages when water demand rises in farms, offices and homes, but a prolonged heat wave this year has worsened the shortfall, including in New Delhi and the southern tech hub of Bengaluru.

A city minister has started an indefinite hunger strike to demand more drinking water for India’s capital, where taps in some of its poorest neighborhoods are running nearly dry.

“There are 2.8 million people in the city who are aching for just a drop of water,” Delhi Water Minister Atishi said on Monday, the fourth day of her fast.

Delhi relies on the Yamuna River for most of its water but the river slows during dry summer months, causing shortages that lead to protests and calls for better water conservation.

Atishi blamed the neighboring farming state of Haryana for guzzling up a large share.

Haryana’s government responded that it was Delhi’s mismanagement that was causing water shortages. Experts said a federal-level review of decades-old water sharing pacts was needed to accommodate population growth.

In the United States, more than 100 million people were under heat warnings this weekend, when temperatures surpassed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in many places.

Palm Springs, California, hit a high of 112 F (44 C) on Sunday while Las Vegas recorded 109 F (43 C).

In California’s central valley, grapes are tended by hand. Temperatures can swing tens of degrees over a few days, and the heat working within rows of grapes is four or five degrees hotter than the surrounding area, some workers estimate.

Farmers try to provide extra water for crops and humans, as well as shade. Click here for a Reuters factbox on how heat affects several large U.S. industries and what they do about it.

Police use water cannons to disperse protesters during a demonstration against Kenya’s proposed finance bill 2024/2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi 

Dima Zogheib, nature positive design lead at Arup, a multinational professional services firm, shares her thoughts on what cities can do to mitigate the impact of heat waves:

“We’ve just had our twelfth consecutive month of record temperatures, and the way we’ve designed our cities can make it feel even hotter.

“We’ve pushed out nature, concreted our streets and built high in steel and glass, creating urban heat islands where temperatures are far higher than their rural surroundings. But we can change this if we design with heat in mind.

“There are some basic actions all cities should consider.

“Increasing tree canopy cover is proven to lower temperatures. Replacing impermeable surfaces with permeable surfaces will stop as much heat being absorbed in the city.

“Considering the orientation of new developments, including self-shading pedestrian routes, and capturing cool breeze can make a big difference. Introducing green roofs and green walls have demonstrated to reduce temperatures by to 2°C or more.

“Even simple but often overlooked interventions like creating ‘cool islands’ with drinking fountains can provide a network of refuges during heat waves. 

“Urban heat islands need to be addressed at scale and by everyone shaping cities, to build more resilience. This includes reducing carbon emissions and ensuring an equitable approach. The constant record-breaking temperatures shows this is urgent – we’re already experiencing more extreme heat, so we need to act now.”

Some of the world’s biggest companies, finance houses, cities and regions have joined forces to urge governments to increase their climate ambition ahead of a February 2025 deadline to deliver their emission-cutting plans to the United Nations.

The group has signed up to a coalition named Mission 2025. It is convened by Groundswell – a collaboration between Global Optimism, Systems Change Lab, and the Bezos Earth Fund.

People attend the annual Pride march in Budapest, Hungary. REUTERS/Marton Monus

Carrying rainbow flags and dancing through the streets, thousands of Hungarians celebrated the annual Budapest Pride parade this weekend and vowed to keep protesting over the government’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in power since 2010, promotes a Christian-conservative agenda and in 2021 banned the “promotion of homosexuality” among under-18s, despite strong criticism from rights groups and the European Union.

“It’s very important to be here … to show we exist and that we matter,” said 30-year-old Anna Reti, who took part in the march, adding that many LGBTQ+ Hungarians face discrimination and hostility in everyday life.

Ahead of the march, the embassies of the United States, Germany and 33 other countries urged Hungary to protect LGBTQ+ rights and scrap laws that discriminate against members of the community.

Click here for a Reuters photo snapshot of global LGBTQ+ Pride Month celebrations.

Today’s Sustainable Switch was edited by Alexander Smith.

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