The human-caused climate crisis is fueling extreme weather events around the world, which not only affect rivers, but also the people who rely on them. Most people on the planet depend on rivers in some way, whether for drinking water, irrigating food, energy or transporting goods. Here’s how six of them look from space. The Colorado River is drying up on its banks and thinning out as a historic drought in the US West shows little sign of abating. The river is vitally supported by two of the country’s largest reservoirs, and to protect the river basin, the government has implemented mandatory water cuts and asked states to draw up additional action plans. One of those reservoirs, Lake Mead, is shrinking in size as water levels drop toward “dead pool” status — the point at which the reservoir will not be high enough to release water downstream through a dam. Its water level had been on a downward trend since 2000, but had a steeper drop since 2020. The lake has dropped so low in the past year that wild discoveries have been made, including human remains in a barrel — a suspected homicide victim from decades ago. And the consequences of the Colorado River crisis are enormous: About 40 million people in seven states and Mexico rely on the river’s water for drinking, agriculture and electricity.
The Yangtze River
The Yangtze River in Asia is drying up on its banks and its bed is rising in some areas. But it is the tributaries of the Yangtze that have already dried up severely. China has declared a national drought alert for the first time in nine years and its heat wave is the worst in six decades. The impact of the Yangtze drying up was enormous. In Sichuan, a province of 84 million people, hydropower makes up about 80% of electricity. Much of it comes from the Yangtze River, and as its flow slows, electricity production has fallen, leaving authorities there to order the shutdown of all its factories for six days. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the province has had about half the rain it usually gets and some reservoirs have completely dried up.
The river Rhine
The Rhine begins in the Swiss Alps, flows through Germany and the Netherlands, and then flows to the North Sea. It’s a critical channel for European shipping, but right now, it’s a nightmare to navigate. Parts of the riverbed have risen above the surface of the water, meaning ships trying to cross it have to weave around a series of obstacles, slowing the whole process. The Rhine has several different gauges along the way, including Kaub, just west of Frankfurt, Germany, where the water level has dropped as much as 32 centimeters (12.6 inches). Shipping companies generally consider anything less than 40cm on the Rhine too low to deal with and on the Kaub, less than 75cm usually means a container ship has to reduce its load to around 30%, according to Deutsche Bank economists . Low water also means companies pay higher fees to get through, and all of these factors make shipping more expensive, a cost that is usually passed on to consumers.
The river Pa
The Po River runs right through the top of Italy and flows east into the Adriatic Sea. It is fed by winter snow in the Alps and heavy rains in spring and has a steep drop that brings a fast flow. Typically, catastrophic flooding is more of a problem around this river. But now, Po looks very different. The winter was dry in northern Italy, so snow provided little water, while the spring and summer were also dry, plunging the region into its worst drought in seven decades. It has dried up so much that a World War II-era bomb was recently found amid its dwindling waters. A big problem is that millions of people rely on the Po for their livelihood, mainly through agriculture. Around 30% of Italy’s food is produced along the Po, and some of the country’s most famous exports, such as Parmesan cheese, are made here.
The Loire River
The Loire Valley in France holds a valley of vineyards that produce some of the world’s most famous wines. The river stretches for about 600 miles and is considered France’s last wild river, supporting biodiverse ecosystems throughout the valley, much of which is protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Parts of the river are already quite shallow, but its levels and flow can change quickly depending on weather conditions and as the snow at its source melts. Some sections have become so dry from the lack of rain and extreme heat that people can walk across. Satellite images from the French city of Saumur show more of the river bed than the water exposed in the Loire. The patches of land around him in the valley are mostly brown and withered – a year ago, they were lush green. Authorities are releasing water from dams into the river, mainly to ensure there is enough to cool four nuclear power plants located along it.
The Danube River
The Danube is the largest river in Western Europe and a critical shipping channel passing through 10 countries. In Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria, workers are dredging the river just to make sure ships can still sail. It’s not in as bad shape as some of Europe’s other rivers, but countries like Hungary are so dependent on the Danube for tourism that the effects are already being felt. Some cruise ships were unable to cross parts of the river to even reach Hungary. Those who continue to run cannot stop on their regular routes because so many stations have had to be closed as the water levels on the river banks fall. An average 1,600-ton vessel can now only sail in the Hungarian region without cargo, according to the country’s tourism board. CNN’s Julia Buckley, Laura He, Angela Fritz and Rachel Ramirez, as well as reporter Barbie Nadeau, contributed to this report.
