NKU Seminar on Low Water Levels with Mark Braun

Findings on the Economic Impact Along the Rhine

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The NKU Consultation Hour is a regular online event organized by the Climate Adaptation & Business Network NRW (NKU), with the goal of providing companies with practical insights, risk assessments, and potential solutions related to climate change and business adaptation measures.  © NKU

The low-water situation on the Rhine is receiving increasing media attention. On August 13, 2026, Dr.-Ing. Mark Braun was invited as an expert to the NKU seminar titled “When the Rhine Runs Dry: Low Water Levels and the Consequences for Businesses.” There, he presented findings from the economic modeling conducted as part of the R2K-Klim+ project and his doctoral dissertation, and answered questions from the audience. Since 2020, R2K-Klim+ has been funded by the BMFTR under the “RegIKlim – Regional Information on Climate Action” funding guideline.

Low water levels in the Rhine are currently causing problems for inland waterway shipping and the industries that depend on it. In R2K-Klim+, studies were conducted using economic models from Prognos AG to determine the monetary value of the damage. These studies also included projections based on the current SSP scenarios. The expected losses in value added for the German economy due to extreme low water levels amount to billions.

In his doctoral dissertation, Mark Braun examined more than 40 scenarios regarding the potential economic impacts of low water levels on the Rhine. In addition to the basic SSP projections, he also examined the impact of other developments, such as the melting of Alpine glaciers and the filling of open-pit mines in North Rhine-Westphalia with water from the Rhine, as well as adaptation measures such as optimizing cargo discharge on the Middle Rhine or adapting the shipping fleet.

His dissertation is freely available at the following link: https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/1028100

At the NKU consultation session, Mark Braun reported on the results from the R2K-Klim+ project, conducted in collaboration with Prognos AG, as well as on his doctoral dissertation. The main questions initially focused on how low water levels arise in the first place, what the current situation on the Rhine is, and what implications the event has for businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia. During the discussion, participants talked about how businesses can adapt to more frequent low water levels and which strategies make sense in the long term.

For more information on this topic, please visit the website of the R2K-Klim+ research project: https://r2k-klim.net/