After the heatwave, the drought. France is being hit this summer by spectacular phenomena which are making global warming suddenly perceptible. The oldest certainly remember exceptional episodes, such as the great drought of 1976. But the official statistics reveal an unprecedented situation. The close succession since May of three heatwave episodes and the lack of rain in recent months have led to restrictions on water use in all metropolitan departments as of mid-July.
According to forecasts established by IPCC scientists, this situation will recur more and more often in the future, with increasing intensity. It is therefore necessary to consider a major national reflection on water. We still live with a perception of abundance of this natural resource.
However, this reality is now shaken up in summer: water becomes scarce there as soon as it is subject to conflicts of use. Human consumption – essential to life; agricultural irrigation; water tanks for civil security; driving and cooling force for industry and electricity production… Without forgetting the protection of natural environments and the preservation of living things – fauna and flora. The State is there to guarantee distribution according to priority needs. But its decisions depend on the order of priorities that political power gives it.
This is one of the challenges of the “agricultural emergency” bill under discussion in Parliament. Several measures aim to support sectors that depend on irrigation and pumping water from rivers or groundwater. Questioning the relevance of this model is not just an economic issue. Water must be considered as a common good that no one can appropriate for exclusive purposes.
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