When inscriptions such as “If you see me, weep” or “We cried, and you will cry” emerge on what have become known as “hunger stones” in the riverbeds of Central Europe, they can appear at first glance to be warnings of drought, hunger and water scarcity.
Their reappearance this summer, however, does not mean that the banks of the Elbe, Danube and Rhine, particularly in Germany, are heading towards famine.
Linking the appearance of these stones directly to the prospect of famine in modern Germany would be an exaggeration. Germany has an integrated food system and an economy capable of absorbing the effects of drought and water shortages.
Even so, the stones have taken on renewed symbolic importance because they become visible when rivers dry out and water levels fall, recalling periods of severe drought experienced along these waterways in the past.
One of the most famous examples lies on the left bank of the Elbe between Děčín in the Czech Republic and Pirna in Germany, with an inscription dating back to 1616.
Because the “hunger stones” also reappeared in 2018 and 2022, and have now emerged again this year, they have increasingly become a symbol of drought and climate change rather than a literal warning of famine.
While social media often exaggerates their significance whenever they become visible, the consequences of drought and falling river levels are beginning to have tangible effects on daily life, particularly through higher transport costs and rising prices for some agricultural products.
How Much Is the Drought Already Affecting Daily Life?
German news outlet Tagesschau quoted Thomas Puls, head of transport and infrastructure studies at the German Economic Institute, as saying that freight transport has become significantly more expensive under current conditions.
The cost of transporting goods from the Rhine region towards the Port of Rotterdam has risen to around four times its previous level because vessels can now sail only with very light loads.
According to Puls, if water levels continue to fall, transport routes along the Rhine could soon be disrupted altogether.
Because road and rail networks along the Rhine have limited additional capacity, only part of the displaced freight can be redirected, and doing so comes at a very high cost.
Some companies have already announced plans to reduce production.
According to Tagesschau, higher transport costs are likely to push up the prices of some food products, but above all fuel prices, which have already risen in areas along the Rhine compared with other parts of Germany.
River transport forms an important part of fuel supply chains, meaning increased shipping costs can quickly reach consumers.
The transport crisis on the Rhine is also expected to add further pressure to construction costs.
Food Prices Are Already Rising
Beyond the falling water levels in the Rhine, the effects of drought are already visible in shops.
Prices for several varieties of fresh vegetables and open-field potatoes have risen, largely because of reduced supply.
This particularly affects lettuce, as well as some types of cabbage including broccoli and cauliflower, along with carrots.
At the same time, German farms are increasingly attempting to adapt to the effects of climate change.
According to the Chamber of Agriculture in North Rhine-Westphalia, many farmers have begun modifying their agricultural practices, including the use of plant varieties better suited to changing climatic conditions and the cultivation of multiple varieties to spread risk.
Germany and the Politics of Accepting a New Reality
According to Der Spiegel, the current political problem is that Germany has reached a stage of indifference towards the situation.
In an article titled “We Have Reached the Final Stage of Doom”, the magazine draws on a five-stage model commonly associated with confronting death: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.
The magazine argues that Germany has now reached the final stage, acceptance, meaning that it is increasingly adapting to a new climatic reality rather than attempting to change it.
It argued that this summer has made tangible what climate scientists had warned about for decades: Germany is approaching a tipping point.
Yet, according to the magazine, the response has not matched the seriousness of the situation.
Warnings that were once theoretical have become reality, but that reality has simply been renamed the “new normal”.
Adapting or Surrendering?
According to Der Spiegel, recent remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Germany must learn to live with the consequences of climate change reflect a degree of surrender to worsening climatic conditions.
The magazine said such an attitude may be understandable on a human level, but its consequences for society and politics could be severe.
Acceptance does not change the fact that declining water levels could, over the medium term, threaten Germany’s access to a fundamental natural resource.
The consequences for the economy, industry and public health are already becoming serious.
Yet, according to the magazine, German government policy continues to treat the problem as something that can be endured while waiting for conditions to improve, as though the underlying message were simply: “Do not worry, it will rain again.”
Agriculture Under Growing Pressure
For its part, Focus magazine argued in an article titled “The Rhine Is Drying Up and We Are Paying the Price” that drought in Germany is no longer merely an environmental problem.
It is becoming an economic problem that increasingly affects everyday life.
Lower river levels disrupt navigation and increase the cost of transporting coal, chemicals, grain and fuel, potentially feeding gradually into higher consumer prices.
At the same time, agriculture is under considerable pressure from lower crop yields and rising irrigation costs, particularly in the production of grain, vegetables and potatoes.
Prolonged drought could also increase the cost of supplying drinking water because of the need for additional wells, reservoirs and new water infrastructure.
Higher temperatures and water shortages may also affect electricity production because some power stations rely on river water for cooling.
Even so, this does not mean Germany is heading towards famine or a comprehensive water crisis.
Drinking water supplies remain secure at the national level, while part of any agricultural shortfall can be compensated for through imports.
The growing frequency of droughts, however, makes the economy increasingly vulnerable.
In the past, the appearance of hunger stones served as a reminder that falling river levels could lead to poor harvests, higher prices and widespread hardship.
Today, their reappearance reflects a different reality. Drought does not necessarily mean famine, but it can still produce a mounting economic bill that society is forced to pay over time.
