Europe's Economy Feels Climate Change's Costly Summer Heat

This summer, Europe got very, very hot.

The heat and lack of rain caused big problems for people and businesses.

Scientists say this hot weather is happening because of climate change.

Rivers like the Rhine and Danube got too low for boats to carry goods.

Some power plants had to stop working because they needed cool water.

Farmers lost some of their crops because of the heat.

Many people, especially in Germany, got sick or died because of the hot weather.

All these problems together cost a lot of money, probably hundreds of billions of euros.

Experts say this is just the beginning and things may get worse.

Countries in southern Europe might see fewer tourists and higher food prices.

The hot weather is also making it harder for governments to manage their budgets and for the European Central Bank to control inflation.