Drought Threatens a Vital Economic Artery in the Heart of Europe

Ferocious heat waves, wildfires and freakish storms have pulverized Europe this summer. Now a series of droughts, magnified by climate change, have crippled some of the continent’s key waterways, bringing further economic pressure on a region struggling with stagnating growth and fierce global competition.

One center of the crisis is the “wide and winding Rhine” river, as Lord Byron put it, which stretches nearly 800 miles through six countries as it journeys from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea.

This vital economic artery conveys thousands of vessels and millions of tons of cargo a year that stoke trade and industry throughout the continent.

“It’s one of the most important heart chambers of the German economy,” said Carsten Brzeski, global head of macro research at ING, as well as a devoted rower.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/business/rhine-drought-germany-economy.html