Europe's major waterways have plunged to historic lows, with the Danube reaching its lowest level in thirty years and the Rhine near its mouth falling to its weakest flow since 1976, after record-breaking June heat intensified drought conditions across the continent.
The crisis has forced the Thyssenkrupp plant in Duisburg to cut production due to Rhine supply disruptions, while freight vessels now carry just 800 to 900 tonnes instead of the usual 3,000, threatening to double or triple shipping costs. Hungary's Paks nuclear plant has reduced output as Danube water temperatures climb too high for cooling.
In Italy, invasive Elodea Nuttali now covers 40 percent of the Po riverbed, thriving in water that has seen a 57 percent flow drop in Turin, while Adriatic saltwater has pushed 18 kilometres inland. June was the continent's hottest on record, blamed for 10,000 heat-related deaths.