a good way i guess is keeping your cool and reminder of the top story. we're following foyer. a summer of re court breaking heat is drying up rivers across europe, around half the continent is facing an unprecedented drought, with motor levels in germany's river. brian, dropping to critical levels, authority say many vessels may be unable to navigate the key shipping. bert stay with us. dw business with chris cooper is up. next, i'm been puzzling and the entire team and me, thanks for watching. sh . please listen carefully. don't know how you miss today. ah,

feel the magic discover the world around you. subscribe to d w documentary on youtube. nico is in germany to learn german has been eco. why not learn with him? t w's e learning course? eco's fake. oh, oh. how low is to low water levels on germany? is river rine have been dropping? i made an unprecedented heat wave. will go to our correspondent to check on who was still navigating this critical shipping ropes also on the show francis its own

difficulties with the current heat waves which make it more difficult to keep the country's nuclear power plants running and with some looking anxious lee toward heating season, we take a look at how far along germany is becoming independent from russian. i'm chris kolber on berlin. welcome to the program. weeks of hot and dry weather in europe are taking their toll water levels on the river. ryan have dropped further. the water level was at 32 centimeters monday morning at kalb checkpoint between the western german cities of mines and cobblins that run 20 centimeters lower than a week ago. passenger ships and freight vessels have been struggling with low water levels for weeks. the rhine is a major route for goods, chemicals, and coal, which can be shipped between germany and neighboring countries. let's get more from the debris. reporter matters. this man who is on

a coal vessel underway on the rhine river matters. how have the crew of this vessel been coping with the low water levels? yeah, well, as you can see, they are still carrying coal, but they are carrying one 3rd of the possible cargo that the ship could actually carry. also, you know, the fuel consumption. now it's much less economical for the ship to go, and the captain has to concentrate much more to go through the narrow straits that we're going to pass south of copeland's later in the day. so much less cargo, meaning much less revenue. i would assume i met a seller, so what would it mean a, as a whole for the german economy if the water levels sank further. well, i mean it's, it's tough to say right now and we have to understand the rhine as the most

important german waterway for shipping. and we have oil pipelines that go alongside the rain, ryan, and there's also trains carrying cargo. but both of them are at full capacity at the moment. so you know this, this coal, this amounts to about 16 cargo trucks to go. and that means it will be very difficult to keep up on the supplies further south. now we've had a severe economic down shift after a drought in 2018 and with a coming droughts in, you know, with the climate crisis to go. we are looking at a downturn of the economy. w reporter matters. richman, reporting from the river right there. matters, thank you. thank you. now the latest wave is not only causing water level, so drop. it is also affecting frances nuclear power plants which account for 70

percent of the country's energy production. the high temperatures mean only some of them can be kept operating. d w's. lisa lewis, reports, france has been baking and temperatures of up to 40 degrees for months. now. that is putting french nuclear plants under strain authorities, having to bend the rules for about a 5th of them just to keep them running. usually nuclear power plant operators are only allowed to discharge their cooling water into rivers like they're gone. if the rivers temperature is under a certain limit, that is to protect the local flora and fauna county, though authorities have suspended that rule at certain reactors like the goldfish blonde. here behind me, they say it's the only way to guarantee francis power supply. mozilla or unable

a bonus other. but these environmental activists are outraged that rules are being suspended for nuclear power plants. when river systems are already under stress in the heat and drought, he norman, awareness and ball. they say warming them up even more is disastrous. see that the follicle process, it's a catastrophe for plants and fish it, some of them die which has ripple effects throughout the whole food chain with fuel . when for example, there are no micro algae, certain small fish die that anomaly food for bigger fish. plus warmer water contains more bacteria. in order to make it potable, we have to add a lot of chemicals, which people have been drinking volleyball under the ring. but with half of all reactors close for maintenance, france desperately needs the ones that are running to keep going. power company f,

which declined our request for an interview, has called the situation extraordinary. and yet, the current issues don't seem to be an existential problem for french nuclear power . the government is about to nationalize e d f and plans to build new reactors. this energy expert says, betting heavily on nuclear for energy is not a good strategy, especially in the short run. a little doing a bother to lucia. he swa immediate war levels. new nuclear plants can't be commissioned in the short term, as their technology is not ready yet, the renewables a different. they have become cheaper and cheaper over the past few years and could be deployed immediately across the country. a shouted a little up, mar, farrah. i don't care, belmont, and diploma e media. neighboring countries will be watching closely until now. france has been europe's biggest net energy exporter this year, though,

the country will have to import more electricity than it's exporting. and staying with the energy market, germany is looking for gas with russia severely lowering deliveries, norway, and cut our jump in bud with many looking anxiously towards heating season. norway says it cannot increase its gas applies to germany, already livers, or delivers all the gas candidates according to prime minister, known as gus dora during a press conference which he held with the german chancellor shoals and arsenal. any further, bruce would necessitate new gas discoverers previously cut are announced that it cannot deliver more gas either. now they fall out from russia's warren. ukraine has pushed gas price in this, in europe, to new records, future contracts, trading amsterdam saw sharp increases when russia invaded ukraine. back in february

and more hikes when it reduce deliveries to european countries. now last year, russian imports accounted for more than half of gas deliveries to europe, with almost a 3rd of gas demand coming from the industry. and just over 40 percent, from households for the leaders and berlin say they are doing what they can to replace russian gas with renewable energy. but that'll take time. last year, russian gas deliveries accounted for almost 500000000 gigawatts. hours of energy so far this year. only 3 and a half 1000 gig about hours we're adding solar and only one and a half 1000 in wind energy. so let's get carol not less you on this, she is the head of the advisory firm, crystal energy. what come to d. w carol? germany is trying to transition away from russian gas by the looks of it. the country still has quite a way to go. what do you think?

absolutely. i mean, it's not easy. it was, for example, oil of quality with their father, maybe a faster solution, but gas by its nature is a long term business. you rely on by applying gas, which took the case to build and to be functioning as a defender. does not something it can happen over night. i know that germany is working very hard on reducing its consumption of natural gas. and i, 3 of natural gas coming from russia. and they have done, you know, significant progress today. but to say it's going to turn it back entirely on it is not just germany meant european countries in many countries around the world as well. it's going to take a while. this is the reality of the gas business, unfortunately. so even with the political motivation or to turn away from russian gas, germany will still need the kremlin approved gas in the future for that matter. when in the future, again, this is the question of time. so in the future, the longer term, there's plenty of gas around and not necessarily coming from russia. it just takes

time to take that gas out of the global. did you need it by benhaven ships that energy liquefied natural gas. you do have available that just takes time to bid the terminals to explore that. and even if they are there, you need the most important. and this, what you not have insurance is going to be there. when you have more energy coming to germany than you know, we didn't need russian guess you can easily was operation. guess that that will take time. and now there are people who are fearing a gas shortage when it comes, sir to eating season in the coming months. not only in germany, but in other countries in europe as well. should it come to that who should be prioritized companies or households? alyssa, question on balance economics was moral, etc, and political interest, but usually i think most government would agree that households should be given the priority and then industries will have to cope even the economy. cost might be much more significant, but if i were to answer it from a moral perspective,

i would say households should come 1st. big efforts are underway in europe, or as i mentioned, to move away from russian gas. but if we look at other parts of the world, what does the picture there look like? well, i think that if it's very valuable, because in the u. s, for example, we have was the by the administration. they are going aggressively on climate change within the last bill that they pass inflation reduction. as we can see, that they are almost giving similar treatment to green energy. and it was as also conventional oil and gas. asia is pretty hard core and they will stick to percent fuel for as long as it takes because they put great emphasis on energy security. why strike is so because i think what europe came to realize after this energy crisis is that you cannot really separate between climate security and energy security and focus only on time and security. you cannot achieve climate security. climate of this without meeting the requirements of energy security. and that's

what we're seeing today in, you know, a more lenient c to words, investments in gas for example. this, my guess is being classified as a green investment in the following the crisis. a girl or briefly, if you could, how long will it take for a highly industrialized nation, like germany, to move away from fossil fuels to become independent from fossil fuels. where it will take a while, it will take really decays and not hears. carol nutler, founder and ceo of advisory firm crystal energy. carol, thank you for your time. thank you. now remember these, it's been 40 years since the 1st music cd came out and the shiny disks quickly became popular all over the world. the 1st issue was about the visit ers produce and hand over germany. what made the cd so hot? well the sound quality was way better than a cassette tape and vinyl could provide. and it was easy to skip over

a song if you didn't like it. but the big idea behind the cd was also its downfall . music was digitized, and that concept later led straight to streaming. and his reminder of the top of business story we are following for you at you. water levels along the river right are getting dangerously low during a record right summer. the rhine is one of germany's most important waterways and an important shipping route for coal, chemicals, and other goods. roger, that's russia. thanks for watching. the former president, i'm afghanistan. i'm head cars, i live in an exclusive intern. he and d w correspondence. sandra peters may speak with him and come to, well, where he's under house arrest. so we have to do all we can fight for the right

or for children or for doctors to our interview with homie, cause i next on d, w, making raring to read. if there is any erotic offence between them, you'd have to find it between the lines. he w literature, 100 german street. ah, were here at the residency of former president, how many cars i in what used to be known as the green zone when usaa nato forces were still fighting in this country. we are in the heart of cowboy and mister cars, i still consider to be one of.