Heat and drought could cost Germany tens of billions of euros this summer – Greenpeace

The consequences of drought and heatwaves this summer could cost the German economy at least 36 billion euros, environmental NGO Greenpeace has said. The organisation added up estimated damages in the transport, health, forestry and agriculture sectors, as well as productivity losses resulting from the heat. 

Production losses amounting to just under eleven billion euros, caused by around 25 days with a maximum temperature above 30° Celsius, were the biggest factor, it said. The damage to forests caused by drought stress and wildfires would amount to between five and 7.5 billion euros.

“The figures speak for themselves: we simply cannot afford to carry on as we are,” said the organisation’s Mauricio Vargas, policy officer for finance and the economy. He added that the federal government “must respond to the climate crisis with the seriousness the situation demands” at this week’s cabinet retreat outside Berlin. 

Credit insurer Allianz Trade recently said repeated heatwaves could cost the German economy around 112 billion euros by 2030. 

A summer marked by heatwaves, drought, and forest fires across Europe has sparked a debate about policy responses, responsibilities, and the necessary budget in Germany. The coalition government is set to debate heat protection and climate change adaptation at the cabinet retreat, a government spokesperson said. Environment minister Carsten Schneider has proposed to amend the constitution to make adaptation a shared responsibility of federal, state and local governments, which would ensure federal funding. 

Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been criticised for remaining largely silent on climate in recent weeks, and his government for not making climate action and adaptation a priority. During a visit to the site of a forest fire near the town of Hürtgenwald in North Rhine-Westphalia, Merz now said the country must better prepare for such disasters.

“The regrettable reality is that we must expect the number of such events to rise,” he said. “That is climate change.” He added that the government had to combat global warming, but people also have to learn to live with its consequences. “Being prepared for this is a responsibility of the federal government, the federal states, and the local authorities,” the chancellor added.