German rail company introduces strategy to adapt to and mitigate climate change

The rail company Deutsche Bahn (DB) is affected by the effects of climate change “like no other large company in Germany,” and needs to prepare for more frequent extreme weather events, DB said in a press release, based on a study conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). “Climate change is an undisputable fact, which is why reducing CO₂ emissions must be a focus for all of us,” said Deutsche Bahn head Richard Lutz. He announced the company’s strategy, which includes the installation of more resistant transmission infrastructure, the introduction of heat resistant coaches, more frequent clearing of vegetation along the tracks, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The PIK researchers say that extreme weather events will increase, storms will happen more often in the ’green‘ months, when trees hold more leaves and offer a greater target, and there will be more heavy rains.

Read the press release in German here, and find more info on the study in German here.