Low rainfall and searing temperatures have increased the price of grapes, slashed wine production and intensified concerns over water supply – an issue blighting much of Greece as climate change makes summers hotter and rainfall more erratic.
Germans braced for sweltering conditions on Saturday as a heatwave linked to dozens of deaths in Western Europe was forecast to move east and bring temperatures approaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) to Germany and Poland.
Bars of soap have melted and pressure in wine bottles has started pushing out the corks in Ulysse Zachary’s attic flat beneath the zinc rooftops of Paris, where the 21-year-old sleeps under wet towels to cope with a record-breaking heatwave.
The city mayor told busy Parisians to slow down as large parts of Western Europe remained in the grip of a deadly heatwave that has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks.
As a heatwave pushes temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across Europe, companies are trying to protect workers, to keep operations running and capitalise on soaring demand for anything that might offer relief.
In India’s western state of Maharashtra, mango farmer Komal Walke is scrambling to meet orders from India’s online grocers after her family’s three acres of orchards produced almost no Alphonso mangoes this year.