Cruising down the beautiful Upper Middle Rhine Valley it’s easy to miss. But a strange building displaying three numbers on it apparently can let river traffic grind to a halt. Pegel Kaub measures the water level at the shallowest part of the waterway, behind which lots of industry is located. When water levels drop to a critical point, as they did in 2018 and 2022, boats can carry smaller loads and at some point they can’t pass at all. This has some major implications for the German economy, and thus for practically every other European economy as well.
Due to climate change, low water levels become increasingly common. The supply of water in the summer and the fall diminishes because glaciers in the alps are melting away. Also, rainless periods occur more often and have a longer duration. To cushion the economic impact, adaption measures are need but that comes at a huge cost. If only we listened to… no let’s not go that way. Let’s have a look at some inland shipping economics.
