Germany’s government parties agree to “examine” federal funding for climate adaptation

Germany’s government parties, the conservative CDU/CSU alliance of chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Social Democrats (SPD), agreed to examine the possibility of including climate adaptation in the country’s constitution (Basic Law) to increase the scope for financing. Making climate adaptation a so-called “joint task” (Gemeinschaftsaufgabe) in the constitution would secure long-term funding from the federal and local governments for measures to fend off increasingly severe heatwaves, drought and storms.

While climate adaptation is legally binding in Germany, experts see financing as one of the most pressing issues for effective implementation. Currently, the federal states and municipalities are responsible for implementing adaptation measures to protect against the consequences of climate change. They receive support from the federal government, which can fund individual pilot projects, but permanent funding would require a constitutional amendment making climate adaptation a “joint task” – a change needing a two-thirds majority in parliament, a threshold unlikely to be reached.

While environment minister Carsten Schneider from the SPD has called for a national response to extreme heat, a chancellery spokesperson said in early August that a national action plan should stick to the idea of subsidiarity, and the federal government would have "a supporting role." Other CDU-affiliated policymakers have also spoken out against the proposal to make climate adaptation a “joint task”. 

Like the rest of Europe, Germany has experienced a series of record-breaking heatwaves this summer. The extreme heat killed thousands of people and coupled with drought hit the economy, with low river water levels crippling shipping and straining supply chains. Environmental NGOs have called on the government to step up climate action repeatedly. 

At the same meeting, the coalition party leaders also agreed that Germany should “remain a car land”. To this end, they said they would push the EU to delay the planned tightening of vehicle emission rules due to take effect in 2027. Separately, the party leaders agreed to step up Germany’s and Europe’s resilience against supply crises, hybrid attacks and the event of war. This included better protecting critical infrastructure from drone attacks, stepping up civil protection and disaster management, and reducing dependencies on energy and raw material imports.