Rivers are running dry, bringing water levels to record lows and impeding the passage of freight, with ships forced to carry lighter loads. The Rhine water levels are at an historic low. The Kozienice and Połaniec coal-fired power plants in Poland have had to be closed due to critically low water levels in the Vistula River. According to the leading European economic thinktank Breugel, between 1980 and 2024, direct economic losses in the EU due to climate and weather extremes totalled €822 billion. Cumulative GDP losses were $240 billion for France, $147 billion for Italy, $131 billion for Germany and $120 billion for Spain.