Climate change in Germany: Immense economic consequences in dry land lead to a strategic framework for precautionary climate adaptation.

Climate change in Germany: Immense economic consequences in dry land lead to a strategic framework for precautionary climate adaptation.

The federal government has decided to promote the adaptation to climate change. For this purpose, a draft law was adopted that provides for a “strategic framework” for precautionary climate adjustment at all administrative levels. According to the Federal Environment Ministry, the planned measures should significantly improve the quality of life in the city and country.

It was recently pointed out that since 2000 damage of more than 145 billion euros in Germany has occurred in Germany. Many of these events were caused or reinforced by climate change. Since 2018 alone, the damage has been around 80 billion euros. According to a study by the Federal Ministry of Economics, economic follow -up costs of up to 900 billion euros could arise from extreme weather and climate consequences by the middle of the century.

The climate adaptation law is intended to oblige the federal government to pursue a predictive climate adaptation strategy with measurable goals. The population, countries and associations should be able to have a say in the formulation of this strategy. The first climate adaptation strategy is to be adopted with concrete goals by the end of next year.

In order to implement the Climate Adjustment Act, it is planned, among other things, that the federal states should present and implement their own climate adaptation strategies. At the local level, risk analyzes are to be carried out and corresponding concepts are to be developed. All public organizations should also be obliged to consider the goal of climate adaptation in their plans and decisions.

According to the words of Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, the climate heating already causes enormous damage in Germany and Europe. Due to weather extremes such as heat, drought, heavy rain and floods, precautionary measures must be taken and adjustments to the consequences of the climate crisis.

For Berlin, the Climate Adjustment Act means, among other things, to better prepare the city for the consequences of global warming. According to Minister Lemke, Berlin needs more shadows, more options for cooling down, less concrete and more so -called blue and green infrastructure. More meadows, trees and a corresponding water supply are needed to meet the challenges of climate change.