Julia Verlinden, the deputy faction leader of the Green Party, has urged the CDU/CSU and the SPD to put the issue of heat protection on the agenda of the coalition committee. Speaking to the newspapers of the Funke-Mediengruppe, she expressed deep dismay, stating, “I am appalled that the Chancellor has not commented on the heat catastrophe of the past few days. The country is burning, and the Chancellor remains silent.”
According to the WHO, the one-week heatwave in Europe has already led to at least 1,300 deaths, according to the Green politician. Verlinden criticized the federal government for failing to establish a crisis team or offer condolences, which she argued should have happened in any other natural disaster involving hundreds of dead and injured, and significant infrastructure failure. According to Verlinden’s view, Merz is trying to keep the climate crisis out of public view because he fears that the government’s failure in climate protection will become a topic of discussion.
She demanded that the issue be discussed at the meetings of the top coalition officials. “The bare minimum the government should do now is put the community task of climate adaptation, including adequate funding, mentioned in the coalition agreement on the agenda,” Verlinden said. She added that this is the only way the federal government can provide direct financial support to local municipalities in the future. Furthermore, she called for the government to withdraw its so-called “Building Modernization Act,” arguing that new oil and gas heating systems would only exacerbate the heat.
Verlinden concluded by noting that summer has only just begun, warning that “the next fatal heatwave in Europe is only a matter of weeks away.”
