A place in the sun: how the abnormal heat affected Europe
The prolonged heat wave in Europe has become a familiar topic on the news agenda of the Western media. The heat has disrupted harvesting campaigns, paralyzed river logistics and has already claimed the lives of thousands of people. At the same time, the consequences of the climate crisis risk going far beyond a single hot season. How the drought has affected the economies of European countries and what the continued persistence of extreme temperatures can lead to — in the Izvestia article.
A merciless red-hot ball
An abnormal heat wave has been raging in Europe for the third month now. First of all, because of the prolonged heat, farmers found themselves in a difficult situation. The ongoing drought is forcing farmers to postpone the planting of crops and review the acreage.
Against this background, in France, one of the largest agricultural producing countries in the EU, the corn harvest may decrease by 35%, zucchini — by 25%, lettuce — by 35%, peas — by 40%, broccoli — by 60%, and artichokes — by 50-100%. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the last time a similar situation was observed was in 1990. Meanwhile, in Italy, the drought affected about 60% of agricultural land and, in addition, led to a reduction in milk production by 20%. Spain also suffered significant losses: 35% less grain was harvested in Castile and Leon compared to last year's level, 49% less in the Madrid region, and 24% less in Andalusia.
The current climate situation in Europe poses a threat to the 2027 harvest, Bloomberg warns. Meteorologists and farmers note that heavy precipitation is needed to replenish soil moisture reserves, which is not expected in the near future.
An abnormal drought does not just turn once—green parks and fields into a scorched steppe - it has a significant impact on the entire economy of the European Union. In particular, the record heat threatens to negate almost the entire projected 1.1% GDP growth in the European Union this year. Plus, the governments of the countries of the association will have to allocate considerable amounts of capital to support farmers. In particular, French Prime Minister Sebastian Lecorny has already announced the allocation of €145 million in emergency aid, additional investments and other support measures that will be included in the budget for next year.
It is worth noting that the countries most affected by the heat are predicted to have a cumulative GDP loss of up to 5-7% in 2026-2030. According to a report by the international insurance company Allianz Trade, France may lose $240 billion, Italy — $147 billion, Germany and Spain — $131 billion and $120 billion, respectively.
The increasing trend of rising logistics costs deserves special attention. The shallowing of the most important waterways leads to an increase in freight costs: more flights have to be made to deliver the same volume of goods. Countries and industries whose economies are heavily dependent on river transport are particularly affected by drought. Germany and the Netherlands provide more than 70% of the EU's total river cargo turnover, so the drying up of rivers creates serious difficulties for their enterprises.
— The shallowing of the Rhine and Danube is a big problem, since key logistics routes pass through them, which carry iron ore, mineral fertilizers, agricultural products, coal, and so on. It is difficult to imagine how all this volume of cargo could be "shifted" from ships to trucks. For example, even now ships continue to transport essential goods along the Rhine, although they are loaded at about 30% in order not to run aground. These are the most important routes for which it is extremely difficult to find a full—fledged alternative," industrial expert Leonid Khazanov explained to Izvestia.
The drying up of rivers also affects the energy supply. Due to the lack of water needed to cool the reactors, nuclear power plants (NPP) are forced to reduce electricity generation. It was recently reported that the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant was almost on the verge of a complete shutdown due to the risk of not providing sufficient cooling of its reactors. Now the engineers will have to deliver about 145 thousand cubic meters of stone to the Danube riverbed in order to artificially slow down the flow and save the necessary amount of water.
Evening City after turning off the decorative lighting of more than 300 buildings and bridges, including the Hungarian Parliament building and Buda Castle, to save electricity. This decision was made after the Paks nuclear power plant, Hungary's main energy source, was completely shut down for the first time in 44 years due to critically low water levels in the Danube.
The situation is no better in Romania, where there are risks of shutting down the last operating reactor. In early August, the country's navy detonated over 180 kg of explosives to change the direction of water flows and use them to cool reactors. It should be noted that France is experiencing similar difficulties: due to the invasion of jellyfish and prolonged drought, the country's nuclear energy production has decreased by 20%.
It can be argued that the EU is actively developing solar energy, which can replace nuclear energy. In June 2026, it provided 25% of the unit's total electricity, producing a record 52 TWh. In five years, green energy production has increased 2.5 times — in 2021, this figure was only 10%. However, due to the lack of storage capacity and outdated grid infrastructure, solar energy is unable to fully provide Europeans with light and heat.
Effects of drought on Europe
The large-scale drought not only caused serious damage to agriculture, led to river shallowing and created problems for the energy sector, but also had severe consequences for the population. According to El Pais, against the background of extreme heat, the number of deaths in Europe has exceeded 25 thousand people. Over 9,000 people have died in Germany over the past month. High rates are also observed in Spain, France, Great Britain, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
In addition, according to Oxford Economics, record temperatures in the EU will cause prices to rise worldwide by 11.8% in 2026 and by 4.8% in 2027. The price increase will affect not only vegetables, fruits and cereals, but also meat.
Moreover, the so-called famine stones have recently been discovered in the riverbeds of Central Europe, mainly the Elbe, Danube and Rhine.: boulders hidden under water, which become visible only during severe droughts and indicate a critical decrease in water levels. In early 2026, UN experts said that over the next ten years, humanity may face a shortage of drinking water. At the same time, global demand for it may soon exceed available volumes by 40%. Not only the countries of Africa and Central Asia, but also some European countries fall into the risk zone.
The intense heat also affects the fuel market of the European Union: through Rotterdam and other ports, petroleum products enter the interior of the union. Due to the decrease in water levels and the loading of ships by 30-40%, raw materials are much more expensive, which means that retail prices for them are also rising.
For example, by the beginning of August, the cost of tanker cargo transportation from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe, a city in southwestern Germany, had increased to €130-140 per ton, compared with €120—€125 in mid-July or €45 at the end of June. Because of this, fuel prices are rising daily, including in Germany. For example, on August 17, the average price of a liter of Super E10 gasoline was €2.17, which is 3.7 euro cents more than last week. Something similar is happening with diesel: it has risen in price by 0.9 euro cents to €2.25.
— Extreme heat not only complicates logistics, but also increases energy consumption, which leads to higher prices in conditions of scarcity. This, in turn, makes it difficult to accumulate reserves, which may start to run out by the spring of 2027. Even if weather conditions return to normal and the Strait of Hormuz is unblocked, this will not allow the situation to be restored quickly. As a result, the combination of these factors leads to the deindustrialization of Europe and is being intensified by climate change," international commentator Andrei Kuzmak told Izvestia.
With every passing day, European logistics routes are becoming more difficult to traverse. The European Union needs to take strategic steps to somehow fill food warehouses before the coming winter. One of the possible ways out is a dialogue with Moscow. Russia remains one of the largest suppliers of fertilizers, but supply volumes are limited by logistical and export factors. In addition, the EU's rejection of cheap Russian gas, the main raw material for nitrogen fertilizers, in fact, marked another shot in the foot by European elites.
The heat wave has already led to billions of dollars in losses for the countries of the association. These losses affect all sectors of the economy in one way or another, from agriculture to freight transportation. Now the European leaders have to choose: either to contact Russia, or to expect heavy rains. Outside help is unlikely to come.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
