Hungary Shuts Paks Nuclear Plant Due to Heat, Losing Half Its Electricity Supply

Europe is confronting the reality that the climate crisis is no longer a distant dystopia but a daily occurrence, as water scarcity and extreme heat disrupt life across the continent. In the Alps, helicopters are delivering drinking water to mountain huts because spring water has run low, while the Rhine's water level has dropped to 24 centimeters, making shipping nearly impossible. Hungary has shut down its Paks nuclear power plant due to the heat, leaving the country without half of its electricity supply.

These developments underscore that Europe, the fastest-warming continent, is facing existential questions, yet political and societal responses remain inadequate, with climate protection measures being scaled back rather than strengthened. Meanwhile, Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight, none of which were intercepted, killing at least 17 people and wounding about two dozen. This follows a record month in which Russia fired 126 ballistic missiles at Ukraine, the highest number since the war began, as part of a strategy to wear down the population.