In the midst of an arid summer when temperatures broke records throughout Europe, the water in the rivers evaporated. The Rhine – the mainstay of the German, Dutch and Swiss economies for centuries – risks becoming imnavigable, which will suspend the transport of large quantities of diesel and coal. The Danube, which winds 2,850 kilometers through central Europe to the Black Sea, is also in bad shape, hampering trade in grain and other goods.
Transport is only one of the river activities disrupted by climate change. The energy crisis in France is worsening because the Rhone and the Garonne are too hot to really cool the nuclear reactors. In Italy, the level of the Po is too low for the irrigation of the rice fields and the breeding of the clams which decorate the dishes of pasta with clams.
These disturbances would already be a challenge in times of prosperity, but in this case the region is approaching recession; the Russian invasion of Ukraine fuels inflation by contracting food and energy supplies. This situation – four years after the historic suspension of traffic on the Rhine in 2018 – further reinforces the urgency of the efforts of the European Union (EU) to develop river transport.
Rivers are part of our heritage
More than one tonne of freight per EU inhabitant travels annually on inland waterways, the use of which for transport contributes $80 billion [79 milliards d’euros] to the regional economy, according to calculations based on Eurostat data. But the repercussions of the drying up of rivers do not stop there.
“It’s not just about merchant traffic. [Un cours d’eau] allows you to cool off when it’s hot, to irrigate, and so many other things, emphasizes Cécileavezard, director [territoriale Rhône-Saône] at French Waterways. The rivers are part of our heritage.”
The current difficulties are likely to cost economies far more than the 5 billion euros lost during the traffic problems on the Rhine in 2018, according to Albert Jan Swart, economist specializing in transport at the bank ABN Amro.
“Water transport capacity will remain extremely limited until there is enough rain. Added to this is the damage in Germany linked to high electricity prices. It all adds up to billions.”
Even the most seasoned specialists are in shock. Gunther Jaegers, director of a historic river transport group, Reederei Jaegers, says he fell out of his chair in early August when he saw the cost of cargo soar 30% in one day. “This is unheard of. It’s incredible.”
Reederei Jaegers and other carriers may be able to increase the rate per ton of cargo, but the low water level forces them to limit the weight of loads to navigate without taking risks. And no one sees any improvement. When you check the weather forecast, “it’s like in the desert”, summarizes Gunther Jaegers.
In the southern Upper Middle Rhine Valley, known for its Riesling, the terraced vineyards have toasted. In Cologne, a popular floating restaurant ran aground in the dry riverbed. A sandbar appeared about twenty kilometers upstream from Kaub, where a difficult passage is located [et très étroit] near the famous rock of the Lorelei. The depth of the river at this village, located west of Frankfurt, will surely continue to drop, perhaps making it impossible for barges to pass [le 17 août, le niveau est descendu à 34 centimètres]according to the Federal Waterways Administration.
The Rhine, the most important river in Europe, also makes it possible to transport coal to German power stations in order to compensate for the effects of the restriction of Russian gas supplies. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government fears the throttling of river traffic will hamper plans to reopen shut-down power stations, according to people familiar with the matter.
A cloudless sky
For the people,