climate adaptation
Action week to adapt to the climate crisis is underway
Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) opened the week of action on climate change adaptation. photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
The consequences of the climate crisis will be felt more and more – and Germany is not yet sufficiently prepared, the environment minister believes. Climate adaptation managers should help – and an action week.
In a series of actions organized for the first time with more than 200 events, the federal and state governments want to raise public awareness of climate adaptation this week. “We are not yet sufficiently prepared in Germany for the consequences of the climate crisis,” said Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke on Monday in a video message at the start of the campaign week.
In March, the Greens politician presented an emergency program to better adapt to phenomena such as drought, heavy rain and heat waves in Germany. Among other things, this envisages investments of 60 million euros by 2026 – including for advisory services in sensitive areas such as social institutions.
Part of the program is also a measure with which the ministry wants to create 100 new jobs for so-called climate adaptation managers in municipalities by the end of the year. These specialists should develop concepts for adaptation and promote implementation in the municipalities. According to the ministry, 126 municipalities have applied for this funding so far, and 20 applications have been approved so far.
The ministry does not have a precise overview of how many adaptation managers are currently working in Germany. The expertise on climate adaptation is anchored in the municipalities in many different ways, it said when asked. In some cases, so-called climate protection managers – specialists for the coordination of climate protection measures – would also take on the tasks of climate adaptation.
According to the ministry, the question of long-term financing of climate adaptation measures is also open. So far, funds have been earmarked for this in the federal budget. In the future, however, the federal government expects local and state governments to contribute financially. The Ministry is in “intensive talks” with the Conference of Environment Ministers (UMK), said Parliamentary State Secretary for the Environment Christian Kühn on Monday. Appropriate proposals should be available in the autumn.