Germany is already more affected by climate change and its consequences than other countries and regions. The annual average temperature is 1.7 degrees higher than pre-industrial times. In addition, heat waves and droughts, heavy rain and floods are becoming more frequent. The risk of serious forest fires has also increased, not triggered, but favored by the changing climate.
But while climate protection (mitigation) and climate adaptation (adaptation) have long been thought of together at the international level, Germany has some catching up to do here. It was only this November that the Bundestag passed the “Climate Adaptation Act”. But at least there is no lack of ideas on how the country can prepare for the consequences of climate change. They range from more nature to future technologies.
The article presents a variety of approaches, focusing on the areas of heavy rain and floods, droughts and forest fires, and urban heat islands. Measures such as the renaturation of floodplains, the installation of AI-supported early warning systems for extreme weather or even plans from Japan to technically prevent heavy rain completely are being discussed. High-tech agriculture and genetically engineered plants are featured, as are regenerative farms and sponge cities.