Heat, drought, low water levels trigger concerns about health and shipping in Germany

The mild winter and low rainwater levels could have severe consequences for Germany's agriculture, shipping industry and public health. Large parts of the country are experiencing extreme drought, according to the drought monitor of the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. These dry topsoils could impact crop yields, researchers warned, with March 2025 among the driest springtime months on record.

Water levels on the Rhine river, Germany's most important waterway for shipping, are at the lowest level seen in decades for this time of year in many places, Handelsblatt reported. "The whole spring has been very dry," the Rhine Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSA) told the business daily. It added that it was not yet possible to say with certainty what this would mean for shipping and the environment in the summer, but there was a distinct possibility of restrictions on shipping.

A mild winter might also lead to a large mosquito population, as warmer temperatures make it easier for them to survive, Ludwigshafen 24 reported. Regions in southern Germany with shallow waters could be particularly affected, as could urban areas, as puddles form ideal breeding grounds. "It could still be a very mosquito-laden summer," Julian Heiermann, from environmental NGO NABU told the news site. This could affect tourism, for example in the popular holiday destination of Lake Constance, as happened following a massive mosquito infestation in 2024, the site reported.

Pregnant women are also increasingly at risk due to rising temperatures. Germany experienced an average of 22 heatwave days per year between 2020 and 2024 that could be dangerous for pregnant women, 50 percent more than would have been expected in a world without climate change, reported newspaper TAZ. Premature births are increasing worldwide as a result of climate change, as it results in an increased number of days that are dangerously hot for pregnant women, a report by Climate Central found.

Europe is warming faster than anywhere else in the world as climate change intensifies, with temperatures increasing at more than twice the global average over the past 30 years. In addition to heatwaves, climate change is also causing many other extreme weather events to become more frequent and more severe. Persistent low levels of rainfall are becoming more common and, when the rain does come, it is frequently in prolonged downpours, causing flooding. Fires are also becoming more intense and more common.