Temperatures soared across Germany this week, reaching nearly 40C in a number of cities like Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Kitzingen. The effects of the heatwave were felt in virtually every aspect of life in the country – offering a glimpse of the pressures that will intensify on Europe’s largest economy as extreme temperatures become more common.
There is a scientific consensus that human caused global heating is linked to more frequent, more intense and longer lasting heatwaves, with potentially dire consequences for people's health.
And with scientists predicting summer heatwaves will become hotter and more frequent, it won't be the last time the country is impacted. Here's what happens when extreme heat hits Germany.
Health, safety, and daily life
For most people, the most immediate effects of the recent heatwave were seen in its effects on daily life.
In North Rhine-Westphalia and several other states, schools closed early, with the Ministry of Education issuing emergency directives to end classes by noon. Afternoon activities, including sports and after-school care, were cancelled in many areas.
READ ALSO: Heatwave rules - Who decides when it's too hot for school in Germany?
“Many schools in Germany are not prepared for these extreme temperatures. There is a lack of shading, ventilation, and modern climate systems. Teaching at over 30C is unreasonable for children and teachers and can become a health hazard,” said Heinz-Peter Meidinger of the German Teachers’ Association.
Heatwaves are especially deadly for the elderly, people with chronic illnesses, and those working outdoors. Hospitals and care facilities, already strained by staff shortages, struggled to keep vulnerable populations safe.
A press release issued by the Marburger Bund doctors’ union on Thursday, warned, “Heat affects the most vulnerable. Older people, the chronically ill, and those in need of care are particularly at risk.”
In Berlin, officials opened metro stations and churches as cooling shelters for the homeless and vulnerable.
Workplaces were also affected. The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) renewed calls for a “heat break law,” proposing that employees be allowed to reduce hours and take mandatory cooling breaks when temperatures exceed certain thresholds.
According to Germany's Ministry of Social Affairs, the number of sick days due to heat in Germany has been rising steadily in recent years, reaching nearly 93,000 in 2023 – a rise of 12 percent in comparison with the previous record in 2018.
Fire, water, and infrastructure
Wildfires broke out in eastern and northern Germany, with firefighters battling major blazes in the Elbe-Elster district of Brandenburg and near Dresden in Saxony.
In Lower Saxony, flames threatened the outskirts of Lüneburg.
The German Weather Service (DWD) issued its highest warning level for fire danger in several regions, and local authorities banned barbecues and open flames in parks and forests.
Germany’s energy infrastructure managed to hold up through the heatwave, unlike in Italy where power grids in several cities were unable to handle the increased demand created by air conditioning units.
READ ALSO: Why it's hard to find an apartment with air conditioning in Germany
Operators in Germany remained on high alert, however, as high temperatures are known to reduce the efficiency of coal and gas-fired plants. Solar panels can also see diminished output when overheated.
Rail traffic was disrupted in northern Germany due to embankment fires. Deutsche Bahn reported delays on routes between Berlin and the Ruhr area/Hanover, and between Hamburg and Berlin.
Forty-eight passengers had to be rescued by emergency services from a train in the town of Elsfleth in northern Germany when a technical fault caused the train to stop and also disrupted the air conditioning, causing the temperature to become dangerously high.
Deutsche Bahn also announced that many of their bus lines were also affected, as a result of insufficient air conditioning and other risks to equipment caused by the extreme heat.
In some places, asphalt on motorways actually buckled under the heat. A section of the A5 motorway, for example needed to be repaired on Thursday after being torn between Zwingenberg and Bensheim in the direction of Heidelberg.
In Berlin, the amount of drinking water which needed to be fed into the network skyrocketed, according to the city's municipal water service (Berliner Wasserbetriebe). On an average day, Berlin consumes about 600,000 cubic metres of water. On Wednesday the city consumed 880,000 cubic metres, and 820,000 cubic metres were used on Tuesday.
Long-term impacts
The end of the heatwave brought immediate relief as of Thursday morning, but while the temperature has fallen impacts may be felt for a long time to come.
According to Allianz Research, the July heatwave will cause Germany to lose 0.1 percent of GDP growth in 2025, with Europe as a whole losing up to 0.5 percent. These losses are attributed to reduced productivity, health impacts, and disruptions across sectors, including agriculture and industry.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has estimated that weather- and climate-related extreme events cost Europe over €45 billion in 2023 alone, with heatwaves, floods, storms, and droughts inflicting the greatest damage.
Germany, Italy, France, and Spain saw the highest monetary losses among European countries, according to the EEA, with only a small proportion of the damage insured.
Heatwaves are also killers. A recent report by Guardian found that hot weather kills an estimated half a million people each year - more “than the average death toll from wars or terrorism, but smaller than that from cars or air pollution.”
A muted reaction
Given the severity of the heatwave, the political and public response in Germany has been strangely muted.
“It’s surprising how indifferent the black-red coalition seems to be to ecological issues,” wrote political commentator and Spiegel journalist Jonas Schaible. There is no perceptible awareness of the crisis, no action plan, not even lip service, he added.
Since coming to power, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) have prioritized economic relief for industry and agriculture over climate action, while proposals for a national heat action plan or stricter environmental regulations have stalled.
The coalition’s legislative program has also been criticised for supporting a number of anti-environmental measures, including subsidising gas, refusing to introduce a speed limit on Autobahns, and allowing international carbon credits to count toward Germany's emissions targets.
According to a recent Forsa survey, only 7 percent of Germans now consider climate change one of the country’s top three issues – a sharp decline in comparison to previous years.
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