"German cities are not sufficiently prepared for more frequent and more severe flooding, periods of intense heat, drought and water shortages," states a report by the University of Kaiserslautern (RPTU, University of Kaiserslautern-Landau). "Most of them, especially smaller municipalities, simply ignore the dangers associated with the growing risk of heavy rainfall," explains the report's author, Theo Schmitt. Municipalities across the country should urgently carry out climate risk assessments and prepare hazard and risk maps in order to identify the danger points for flooding as well as for intense heat, recommends the report, which was commissioned by the German Builders' Merchants Association (BDB). Effective risk communication campaigns should then be run so that urban planners know where measures to increase resilience to climate change are needed most. Homeowners, too, could take protective measures if their area faces an elevated risk of heavy rainfall or heatwaves.
"Growing climate risks now require Germany to build differently – and even to rebuild," the report says. The author has called on the federal states and the national government to establish a legal framework so that all buildings and infrastructure are analysed with regard to climate risks. "From energy supply and water supply through to urban planning – everything must be examined carefully," Schmitt stresses. Effective protection concepts should then be developed, including storm-proof buildings, better methods for retaining rainwater more effectively, the renovation of sewer systems to avoid backups, and climate-resilient roads, tunnels and railway tracks. Regional and local climate risks will be the decisive factor in determining exactly how cities increase their climate safety, the report's author notes. "Federal, state and local authorities must set the course quickly so that something starts happening now."
Climate change is having an ever greater impact on Germany's population and on the country's infrastructure. Saving lives, mitigating the possible ecological and socio-economic consequences and minimising future costs all require adapting now to the effects of climate change that are already unavoidable. In 2023, Germany introduced a nationwide climate adaptation law requiring municipalities to draw up local risk analyses and adaptation plans. In addition, the Health Ministry presented Germany's first heat protection plan, which aims to reduce the number of heat-related deaths.