Following the high number of deaths caused by the heatwave at the end of June, Greenpeace is pushing for increased protective measures.
Mauricio Vargas, a financial expert at the peace and environmental protection organization, stated on Thursday that effective heat protection must begin at the municipal level. He emphasized that towns and cities need to be financially equipped to protect people from extreme heat. To achieve this, they require reliable income streams to fund shaded schoolyards, swimming pools, the de-paving and greening of areas, cool public spaces for the elderly, and heat-resistant infrastructure.
The Greenpeace expert called on the federal government to provide local authorities with more funding. He argued that a tax on especially large fortunes would be fair, as it would involve those who contribute the most to the climate crisis while relieving municipal expenses for urgently needed heat protection investments.
According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 4,310 deaths attributed to heat occurred in Germany in the week of June 22nd to 28th, when temperatures reached 41.7 degrees Celsius. Based on RKI models, the total death toll is projected to reach around 5,100 people by the end of June.
Heatwaves cause more fatalities in Europe than all other natural disasters combined. Scientists note that these events are becoming stronger and more likely due to human-caused global warming. This effect will continue to intensify as additional greenhouse gases, released primarily through the burning of coal, oil, and gas, are added to the atmosphere.
Furthermore, an analysis by the scientific initiative World Weather Attribution (WWA) indicates that the temperatures reached during the June 2026 heatwave would have been “practically impossible” in 1976. They would also have been highly unlikely at any other time of the year. Such high daily temperatures in 2003, when the first major heatwave of the century occurred, were still very rare, and nighttime temperatures observed this June would have been over a hundred times less probable in 2003.
