Energy Production and Trade are Limited by Drought

A major drought in Europe, caused by heatwaves that began in undefined, is slowing trade and decreasing energy production from nuclear and hydropower.

undefined attributes causes of the drought to “sparse rainfall and unrelenting heat” combined with “reduced runoff [water] from Alpine snow and glaciers”. Alpine glaciers in Europe have been retreating north since the 1850s, and this undefined did not accumulate much of a snow cover before melting away during an early, and warm spring. This summer, meltwater and rain are failing to alleviate the declining water levels caused by record-breaking temperatures; as a result, many major river systems have lost between undefined of their normal flow rate.

Water levels have also dropped. For example, the Rhine river is currently at a record low since recording began in the 1880s, which has stymied trade. Cargo ships are large and heavy; passing through lower water levels undefined the vehicle. So, cargo is either moved to smaller ships to lighten the load of the original ship or these loads are not transported altogether. Small ships, however, are less efficient both for cargo volume and energy efficiency.

Countries can somewhat restrict trade but some imports are vital, with one of the most important commodities being fuel. Congestion of small ships in waterways makes water travel slower and complicated, and alternatives are barely better. Land travel by with trucks, for instance, doesn’t carry as many goods per trip, while airplane fuel is expensive.

As for energy, some nuclear power plants, which (nuclear power provides undefined of Europe’s energy use, ) have been shut down due to water restrictions. This is due to because nuclear plants require the large amounts of river water required to sourced from rivers, to prevent overheating and to maintain safety within nuclear plants. A smaller but directly affected source, hydropower (undefined), is reduced because rivers that have a lower flow rate do not have as much kinetic energy to harness. Other major energy sources — natural gas, crude oil, and petroleum (undefined in total) — face the same water restriction challenges as nuclear energy. However, these sources come with moral concerns: burning these products for energy releases heat and greenhouse gases, which would make future natural disasters worse.

European homes undefined because summers tend to be mild, and maintaining AC was an unneeded electricity bill to pay. But, in the midst of unexpected, intolerable heatwaves, more people have been installing AC units despite a lack of energy production.