European droughts News

Dutch Buildings Built on Wooden Piles Are Sinking After Drought Cuts Groundwater

Inside Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Night Watch appears to be hanging straight, as do other famous works by Vermeer and Van Gogh. While standing outside the gargantuan red-brick building, however, eagle-eyed engineers noticed the museum was sinking 15 centimeters …

Why Are the World’s Rivers, Canals and Reservoirs Turning to Dust?

Rivers across the globe are disappearing. From the U.S. to Italy to China, waters have receded, leaving nothing but barren banks of silt and oozing, muddied sand. Canals are empty. Reservoirs have turned to dust. The world is fully in …

Europe’s Record-Breaking Summer Heat Wave Will Be the Norm by 2035: Report

Europe’s record-breaking heat wave will be just an average summer in less than 15 years — even if countries meet their climate goals — with regular droughts and fires set to become the norm. By the end of the century, …

Europe’s Drought May Be Worst in 500 Years: Report

Europe is currently in the throes of a drought that appears to be the worst in at least 500 years, according to a preliminary analysis by experts from the European Union’s Joint Research Center. Some 64% of the EU is …

Rhine River Water Level Hits New Low, Forcing Some Barges to Halt Transport

The Rhine River’s water level at a key waypoint hit a new low, risking the transit of fuel and other goods as Europe’s climate crisis exacerbates its energy-supply crunch. The marker at Kaub, a particularly shallow point west of Frankfurt, …

Historic Drought, Low River Levels Threaten to Cripple Trade Across Europe

In the midst of an arid summer that set heat records across Europe, the continent’s rivers are evaporating. The Rhine — a pillar of the German, Dutch and Swiss economies for centuries — is set to become virtually impassable at …

Rhine River Water Levels in Germany Keep Falling, Forcing Ships to Sail Partly Loaded

Water levels on the Rhine in Germany fell again during hot dry weather over the weekend and cargo vessels cannot sail fully loaded, vessel brokers and commodity traders said on Monday. Shallow water is causing problems for shipping on the …

Europe’s Rhine River on Brink of Becoming Impassable as Water Levels Drop

Water levels on the Rhine River are set to fall perilously close to the point at which it would effectively close, putting the trade of huge quantities of goods at risk as the continent seeks to stave off an economic …

Record Temperatures, Wildfires Wreak Havoc on Europe’s Wineries and Vineyards

In Portugal’s Douro Valley on July 7, a wildfire burned close to Oscar Quevedo’s Quinta da Alegria vineyard. By the middle of the night, flames surrounded it. The vines around the edges, amounting to about a hectare, burned. In his …

Low Water Levels in Rhine River Could Have Similar Hit on German Economy as 2018

Low water levels in the Rhine river may have a similar impact on German economic output as they did in 2018, according to Berenberg. That was the last year in which the river — a key waterway that’s critical for …