Heat check: Cities in Germany fail in heat protection

Heat check: Cities in Germany fail in heat protection

Environment

Updated on July 30th, 2024, 12:43 p.m.

Hitze check reveals defects

The German Environmental Aid (DUH) has drawn a sobering record of heat protection policy in German cities in its newly published report. In particular, it was found that some cities are not sufficiently prepared to offer their citizens adequate protection on hot days. The examination bears the name "Hitze-Check" and captures the Situation in 190 cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants.

particularly affected cities

In this analysis, cities such as Ludwigshafen, Heilbronn, Regensburg, Worms, Mainz, Ludwigsburg and Ingolstadt performed poorly and received a "red card" due to a particularly high area of space. This means that more than 50 percent of the respective area are sealed, which reduces natural cooling. In contrast, cities such as Detmold, Ratingen, Potsdam and Jena receive positive reviews with the best protection against heat.

area sealing as a health risk

Environmental aid warns that according to current data, over 50 hectares in Germany are sealed for settlements and traffic every day. This corresponds to the area of the city of Hanover every year. Such developments are a significant health risk in times of the climate crisis, especially due to the loss of large trees, which ensure an important cooling effect in urban areas. According to the DUH, green areas without trees only have a two to four lower cooling effect as tree-stocked areas.

demands for political measures

In order to bring about drastic changes, the DUH from the Federal Government calls for the introduction of a legally binding goal to stop the area sealing by 2035 at the latest. The federal manager Barbara Metz said that unsealed soil and green spaces are not only important for the seepage of water, but also for climate protection. An example of possible measures are nationwide standards for greening schoolyards. She emphasizes: "We are calling for binding green shares at the municipal level and conversion instead of new building."

The relevance of the environmental aid study

The results of this study are of great importance, not only for the cities concerned, but for all of Germany. They show a clear need for action in order to counteract the increasing temperatures and to improve the quality of life of the citizens. Especially in times of extreme weather conditions it becomes clearer how important it is to act in good time and find sustainable solutions.

This investigation could be seen as a call to cities and municipalities to take active steps to protect their population from the heat in order to ensure a better quality of life and to minimize future health risks.

- Nag