Climate adaptation in the Basic Law: Environment Minister Schneider calls for constitutional change
At the extreme weather congress in Hamburg, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider advocated a change to the constitution on climate adaptation and promoted a national heat action plan.
Quick Look
- At the extreme weather congress in Hamburg, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider is calling for a change in the basic law for climate adaptation and nature conservation.
- In view of thousands of heat deaths in the summer, the federal government is planning a national heat action plan.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Climate protection has been anchored in the Basic Law as a state goal since 2002, and the goal of climate neutrality by 2045 has also been included since the previous year.
Politicians have wanted to protect the climate for many years, and now Environment Minister Schneider is focusing on climate adaptation. At an extreme weather congress he advocates for a change to the Basic Law.
Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider: Climate protection has been anchored as a state goal in the Basic Law since 2002. Photo: Elisa Schu/dpa
Berlin. As patron of the extreme weather congress in Hamburg, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) reiterated his call for a constitutional change. “I am committed to including a community task, climate adaptation and nature conservation, in the Basic Law,” said the SPD politician in a video speech. This creates more scope for cooperation between the federal and state governments.
Climate protection has been anchored in the Basic Law as a state goal since 2002. Since last year, the goal of climate neutrality by 2045 has also been mentioned in the Basic Law, in connection with the 100 billion euro climate and transformation fund.
Last summer with heat waves, dry riverbeds and burning forests was a new wake-up call, said Schneider. “Citizens have suffered from the heat, thousands have died, in Europe and around the world.” The heat wave from mid-June was particularly intense. At the end of June, record temperatures of 41.8 degrees were measured east of Magdeburg.
Experts call for action
The infrastructure is reaching its limits with bending train tracks and bursting highways. The federal government wants to further improve protection against extreme weather events. It supports municipalities in creating greenery and natural, cooling oases. The federal government wants to draw up a national heat action plan by next year.
Drought in Germany: Photo: REUTERS
In view of climate change, experts called for action at the Extreme Weather Congress. “Each decade since the 1960s has been significantly warmer than the previous one,” said Tobias Fuchs, board member of the German Weather Service (DWD) at the start of the three-day conference in Hamburg with around 1,000 participants. The conference will focus on how climate change influences the occurrence of extreme weather events.
The Robert Koch Institute estimates that around 16,000 people in Germany died as a result of heat this summer. “Progressive climate change increases both the probability and the intensity of such heat waves,” explained Fuchs.
“It is quite possible that in 30 years we will look back on this year, on this period, and find that the summer we currently classify as extreme will be classified as normal despite its temperature records,” said Fuchs, who heads the climate and environmental advice department at the DWD.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Create a national heat action plan by next year
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- When will the draft law to amend the constitution be introduced in the Bundestag?
- How do the federal states react to the demand for a joint task?
