Spain lost more than 4'800 km2 of forest to wildfires in 1994 and 1'500 km2 burned in each of Greece and Italy in 1998.

• Ecosystems in southern Europe are threatened mainly by reduced precipitation and subsequent increases in water scarcity.
• Decreases in precipitation in southern Europe reduce crop yields and make irrigation an even larger competitor to domestic and industrial water use.
• Potential yields of winter crops are expected to increase, especially in central and southern Europe, assuming that neither precipitation nor irrigation are limiting and that water-use efficiency increases with the ambient atmospheric concentration of CO2.

Further information:

• The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability.