Adapting to effects of climate change now legally binding in Germany

A law requiring German municipalities, states and the country as a whole to adapt to the effects of climate change has now come into force (1 July). For the first time, Germany has made it legally binding to draw up climate risk assessments and implement measures to better deal with increasing periods of heavy rain, high heat and more frequent flooding. Moreover, climate adaptation is now a task that the state must carry out. "For risk prevention and targeted climate adaptation measures, it is important to clearly regulate which level of government must act where," environment minister Steffi Lemke said.

The law will see local authorities improve infrastructure to protect against flooding and create green spaces to provide shade and cooling during heatwaves; facilities like hospitals and care homes create heat action plans; and utilities adapt infrastructure to better manage water during periods of heavy rain or drought. "The consequences of the climate crisis must be taken into account in future planning and climate adaptation concepts must be developed locally," Lemke said. The federal government is set to present a climate adaptation strategy with measurable targets for the country as a whole by the end of the year.

Germany's towns and cities are insufficiently prepared to deal with more frequent and more severe flooding, periods of high heat, drought and water shortages, according to a report by technical university RPTU Kaiserslautern. However, the country's municipalities have warned that they are not able to finance the necessary response measures, which the association of towns and municipalities calculates to reach eight billion euros per year, newspaper Zeit reported. The law does not specify who is responsible for the financing. The association called for the government to create a so-called joint task for climate adaptation in Germany's constitution, which would ensure the federal government and states contribute to financing for the task on a permanent basis. Such a proposal is backed by the opposition's parliamentary group the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), n-tv reported.

Adapting to the already unavoidable effects of climate change is necessary to save lives, reduce the ecological and socio-economic impacts of the crisis, and minimise future costs. A lack of financial and human resources slows the implementation of preparation efforts against the impacts of climate change, and a fragmented approach is also considered a major hurdle. Experts have warned that climate adaptation is still not mainstreamed enough, and that planning decisions continue to be made without considering the potential effects of a warming world – such as constructing homes in flood-prone areas. Implementing, and not only planning, adaptation measures remains a challenge.