During the summer of 2022, parts of Europe experienced drought conditions exacerbated by heat waves.[1] This was preceded by a warm and dry spring. On 9 August, a senior European Commission researcher said that it seemed to be Europe's worst year in 500 years.[2] A report from the Global Drought Observatory has confirmed this.[3] The drought had serious consequences for hydropower generation and the cooling systems of nuclear power plants, as the drought reduced the amount of river water available for cooling.[4][5] Agriculture in Europe was also negatively affected by the drought.[6][7]