Pohodinda
Historic Drought Threatens to Cripple European Trade
From the Rhine to the Danube, waterways are failing at the worst possible moment as the climate crisis worsens.
The Rhine — a pillar of the German, Dutch and Swiss economies for centuries — is set to become virtually impassable at a key waypoint later this week, stymieing vast flows of diesel and coal. The Danube, which snakes its way 1,800 miles through central Europe to the Black Sea, is gummed up too, hampering grain and other trade.
Across Europe, transport is just one of the elements of river-based commerce that’s been upended by climate change. France’s power crisis has worsened because the Rhone and Garonne are too warm to effectively cool nuclear reactors, and Italy’s Po is too low to water rice fields and sustain clams for “pasta alle vongole.”
While disruptions to waterways would be a challenge at the best of times, the region is already on the brink of recession as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine fuels inflation by squeezing food and energy supplies. The situation — just four years after a historic halt to Rhine shipping — adds urgency to European Union efforts to make inland shipping more resilient.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-08-10/europe-s-low-water-levels-threaten-rhine-river-hit-80b-trade-lifelineRivers across Europe are too dry, too low and too warm | Europe | News and current affairs from around the continent | DW | 10.08.2022https://www.dw.com/en/rivers-across-europe-are-too-dry-too-low-and-too-warm/a-62758853