A new report has revealed the extent to which Germany has already been affected by climate change. Temperatures have risen markedly in the past five years, and it is expected to get worse.
Image: picture-alliance/S. Ziese
Advertisement
The average temperature in Germany rose 1.5 degrees Celsius between the years 1881 and 2018, with a 0.3 degree rise just in the last five years, a new climate change report revealed on Tuesday.
"The observations of the German Weather Service are unambiguous. It is rapidly getting warmer, more heat waves are threatening our health and everyone must expect damage from heavier rainfall. Germany is in the grip of climate change," said Tobias Fuchs, head of the Climate and Environmental Consulting Department of the German Weather Service (DWD).
Fuchs was speaking at the presentation of the "Monitoring Report on Climate Change Impacts" in Germany.
The report revealed, among other things, more health risks due to heat stress, an increase in the mean surface temperature of the North Sea and greater fluctuations in agricultural yields.
The report found there was an increase in the number of days that are 30 degrees or above, rising from three to 10 between 1951 and 2018. It also said there were up to 7,500 deaths in some years due the heatwaves.
In the past 10 years, groundwater levels have receded, leading to problems with drinking water supplies in some communities, according to the findings. Increasing drought and increasingly frequent low water levels in rivers have impaired ecosystems, led to restricted shipping and endangered the supply of cooling water to power plants and industry.
Economic toll
In the past 50 years, according to the report, heat and drought caused €700 million ($771 million) in agricultural losses. Growing seasons had expanded from 222 days in 1951-1981 to 232 days in 1988-2017. Animal and plant species from warmer regions of the world also spread into the country, including sardines and anchovies in the North Sea and the Asian tiger mosquito on land, increasing the risk of disease.
Damage to infrastructure from extreme weather events affected the economy, with insurance losses of about €3.1 billion incurred on houses, motor vehicles, household goods, commerce, industry and agriculture in 2018.
Fuchs warned that climate change models predicted further increases in mean air temperature across Germany, between 3.1 to 4.7 degrees by the end of the century.
He said there would likely be a significant increase in the occurrence of extremely high temperatures and the frequency of heat waves in the future, while frost events will probably occur less frequently. Precipitation conditions will become more extreme, Fuchs added, with an increase both in the frequency and intensity of heavy precipitation — but also in the frequency of dry days.
From temperature increases to predictions of sea level rise, Germany's seas and coastal communities are facing changes that require pre-emptive action.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Marschall
Keeping the coast safe
At the moment, water levels in Germany's North and Baltic Seas are not rising any faster than usual, but scientists say the process is likely to speed up in the coming decades. Exactly when, and by how much, is uncertain. And that complicates the work of coastal defense authorities.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Wagner
Feat of engineering
Over the centuries, the hundreds of kilometers of dikes along Germany's coastline have become higher and more sophisticated. The latest incarnations are called "climate dikes" and are especially designed to be able to hold back higher waters brought about by warming temperatures and rising sea levels.
Image: DW/Tamsin Walker
Houses on tiny hills
One time-honored way populations under threat from higher sea levels have sought to secure themselves, has been to build their homes on small mounds. On the so-called Hallig islands, it is not uncommon for these embankments to be all that is left above water during a storm surge.
Image: WWF/H.-U. Rösner
Cod off to cooler waters
Unlike sea-level rise, an increase in temperatures in Germany's North and Baltic Seas is already palpable. Scientists say both bodies of water are around 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than in the 1960s. This shift in conditions has had an impact on several species, including cod, which have begun to migrate north in search of the cold in which they thrive.
Image: by-nc-sa/Joachim S. Müller
Heading for the heat
At the other end of the scale, anchovies are increasingly making a home for themselves in the North Sea off Germany. The species is usually found in more southerly climes, but the warming temperatures are attracting them to new waters.
Image: Imago/blickwinkel
Mud flats in danger
The Wadden Sea UNESCO World Heritage Site is also at risk from the predicted sea-level rise. It serves as a resting place for millions of migratory birds traveling between the Arctic and warmer regions to the south. Because it is so rich in food, the birds stop there for several weeks at a time to build up fat and energy reserves for their onward journeys.
Image: WWF/H.-U. Rösner
Life in the salt marsh
While few plant species can survive the salty waters that regularly flood the marshes between the Wadden Sea and the dikes, the environment is alive with tiny insect species and birds that nest at ground level.
Image: DW/Tamsin Walker
Drowning dinner
If the sea level were to rise too quickly, the Wadden Sea's characteristic mud flats would no longer be exposed at low tide. That would have huge implications, not only for the birds that rely on the ecosystem for food, but for the ecosystem itself.
Image: WWF/H.-U. Rösner
8 images1 | 8
Calls for change
Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the "alarming" report revealed an imminent need to adapt to climate change through design and planning.
"All construction and infrastructure projects must be better equipped to withstand the adverse effects of heat, heavy rain or flooding. This also applies to the design of urban residential areas. Green roofs and building facades, water areas and shaded areas alleviate heat and improve rainwater retention. At the same time, they improve air quality."
"Such sustainable climate adaptation not only makes our infrastructure more robust; it also safeguards Germany as a business location and adds value to our quality of life."
The president of the Federal Environment Agency, Maria Krautzberger, called for state investment in the monitoring and mitigation of climate change.
"The future has already reached us. Germany is in the midst of global warming, with far-reaching consequences for the environment, society and health. There is an urgent need to take precautions to counter these consequences," she said.
"Monitoring must be further improved and the consequences of climate change on the one hand and state investments on the other must be fully understood. For example, a special climate protection program supported and financed by the federal and state governments is conceivable."
Heat waves hit parched Europe, US and China
Summer 2019 is packing a punch around the world, with parts of Europe, the US and China all sweltering under oppressive temperatures in recent days. Germany could break its all-time heat record on Thursday.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Traut
Summer 2019 continues to sizzle Europe
This week, Germany and western Europe are bracing for another record-breaking week of heat. A high-pressure "heat dome" could send temperatures towards 40 degrees Celsius (104.5 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, probably peaking on Thursday. The German Weather Service (DWD) issued a heat warning for the entire country for Wednesday and Thursday. The heat is expected to last until the weekend.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Warnack
New German heat record?
A dried-out park in Cologne. DWD meteorologists said that temperatures on Thursday in the heavily populated areas around Cologne and the Ruhr region in western Germany could break the country's all-time heat record of 40.3 C (104 F) — set in the Bavarian village of Kitzingen in 2015. This heat wave could be "one for the history books" said a DWD spokesperson on Monday.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Berg
The heat knows no borders
The French weather service said temperatures in Paris on Thursday are forecast to reach a stifling 42 C (107 F), which would break the city's all-time heat record of 40.4 C (104.7 F) that has stood for over 70 years. The UK could also break its heat record of 38.5 C (101 F) on Thursday.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Tribouillard
Cool off however you can
Air conditioners are uncommon in Germany. Those in the north can cool off by the sea, but people living in the rest of the country will pack into public pools or wade into rivers and lakes. Residents of Munich often cool off in the Isar River, which cuts through the city. June 2019 was the hottest June ever recorded in Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Kneffel
Damage to highways
Highways can buckle under extreme heat, as on this autobahn highway in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. These so-called "blow ups" happen suddenly and are very dangerous for drivers. Authorities in Germany often issue temporary speed limits on highways during heat waves in a bid to limit the risks.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Butt
Not a good day for a race
Cyclists are slogging through 40 C (104 F) heat during the decisive week of a thrilling Tour de France, as the race route crosses through the country's scorched southeast. Organizers set up ice foot baths and extra water stations. The pros often have no choice, but health authorities advise against outdoor exercise in extreme temperatures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Stockman
Storms break US heat wave
Washington, New York and Boston on the the US east coast experienced record heat over the weekend. A cold front broke the heat wave on Tuesday, bringing severe thunderstorms that caused flooding and power outages in New York and New Jersey. On Cape Cod, a popular vacation destination in Massachusetts, a rare tornado ripped the roof off a hotel.
Image: Getty Images/S. Eisen
China uses old fashioned air conditioning
Workers manufacture ice blocks at a factory in China's eastern Anhui province. A heat wave is currently gripping parts of eastern China, including Beijing, with temperatures this week ranging from 33 to 37 C (91-98 F). The heat has created a spike in demand for ice.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Fengcheng
The earth is getting hotter
According to the North American Atmospheric Association (NOAA), this past June was the hottest ever recorded worldwide — and NOAA predicts that July 2019 is on track to be the hottest month since records began 140 years ago. Climate scientists warn that the unprecedented heat waves seen in 2019 will be normal weather events in the future.
