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Europe’s shrinking rivers reveal past relics
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- Europe is experiencing record low river levels due to an intense summer heatwave and drought, revealing ancient relics such as a mammoth’s remains on the Danube in Bulgaria and century-old shipwrecks in Croatia and Serbia.
- The Danube River, which flows through 10 countries, has shrunk to unprecedented lows, with Budapest recording a water level of just 9 inches, breaking the previous record from 2013.
- The low water levels are causing significant disruptions, including the shutdown of Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Power Plant due to insufficient cooling water and reduced cargo ship loads that slow and increase the cost of shipping.
- Tourism is also impacted, with river cruises canceled or altered and boats stranded in drying lakes such as Lake Brenets on the Switzerland-France border.
- Scientists warn that such extreme heat and drought events will become more frequent and severe unless global fossil fuel emissions are drastically reduced, emphasizing the clear link to human-driven climate change.
