Europe's Low River Levels Cut Power and Disrupt Shipping

Record low water levels in Europe's major rivers, driven by prolonged heatwaves and drought, are crippling energy production, disrupting vital cargo transport, and inflicting significant financial losses across the continent. The crisis, affecting waterways from the Rhine to the Danube, underscores the severe and simultaneous economic vulnerabilities exposed by climate change.

The Danube River, a critical commercial artery, has fallen to historic lows, forcing drastic reductions at key power facilities. In Hungary, the Paks nuclear plant, which supplies nearly half the nation's electricity, is preparing for a complete shutdown on August 3, potentially for weeks, because the receding river can no longer reliably supply cooling water. Officials have warned of an impending energy crisis and urged the public to reduce consumption. Downstream, Romania has already shut down one reactor at its Cernavodă nuclear plant and has the second on standby, threatening to deprive the country of a fifth of its power. Serbia's largest hydropower plant, Đerdap 1, is operating at just 20 percent of capacity.

These outages are forcing countries to turn to costly electricity imports, tightening...