Germany considers national heat action plan amid extreme weather

Germany is planning a national action plan to address the escalating issue of heatwaves, a move prompted by a summer of record-breaking temperatures. Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary in the Environment Ministry, stated that while many federal states already have heat protection plans, the federal government needs to consolidate these efforts into a national strategy for the upcoming summer.

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I believe the lesson we have learned from this summer is: next summer we will also need a national action plan that then bundles everything from the states.

Flasbarth also addressed criticism from the Federal Court of Auditors regarding the ministry's "Climate Adaptation in Social Facilities" program. He asserted that the ministry is actively working to tackle the problem of overheating in buildings, particularly in hospitals and nursing homes. To counter the court's objections, which he deemed "overly exaggerated," Flasbarth announced plans to initiate a constitutional amendment.

The state secretary also emphasized the need for municipalities to take greater responsibility for heat planning in urban development. He questioned the prioritization of projects like the renovation of Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt, where not a single tree was planted, suggesting a disconnect between urban planning and the need for green spaces to mitigate heat.

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We want to tackle this, we even want to initiate a constitutional amendment so that this completely exaggerated criticism from the Federal Court of Auditors is rendered void.

These discussions come as Germany grapples with the severe impact of high temperatures. Nearly 10,000 people are estimated to have died from heat-related causes in Germany by mid-July this year, surpassing figures for any full year since 2016. Last week, temperatures in several parts of the country exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive heat adaptation strategies.

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One must also ask on the ground: Is it actually sensible to renovate a Gendarmenmarkt here in the middle of Berlin for a lot of money and plant not a single tree in the process?