Facing a high number of heat-related fatalities across Germany, Green Party Chair Franziska Brantner is demanding significantly improved protection for vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those requiring care.
Brantner told the “Rheinische Post” (Friday edition) that with nearly 10,000 heat deaths recorded since the beginning of the year, the federal government is being complacent. She stated, “Older people are dying in care facilities without air conditioning, and children are sweating in overheated daycare centers. This is no longer a side issue; it is an acute threat to human life.”
Consequently, Brantner urged immediate investment in climate adaptation measures. She called for the Climate and Transformation Fund to be used consistently to finance heat protection plans for care facilities and daycares, as well as to install shading and water fountains in cities, and to expand green and water spaces to keep urban areas cool during the summer.
In addition to her calls for better protection, Brantner strongly criticized Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Reiche. She argued that instead of decisively expanding renewable energies, the minister is slowing down climate protection efforts, particularly regarding the EEG and the network connection package approved by the cabinet on Wednesday. Brantner contended that the EEG amendment and the network package undermine the very energy sources that could make Germany climate-safe and independent. “Minister Reiche is hamstringing, not promoting, the renewables,” she asserted.
Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), released on Thursday, confirmed the gravity of the situation, reporting that approximately 9,800 people across Germany had died due to high temperatures by calendar week 29 of this year. This figure now surpasses the number of heat deaths recorded in any single year since 2016, when the RKI began systematically evaluating heat-related fatalities.
Scientific analysis confirms that human-caused global warming is making heatwaves both stronger and more frequent. This effect will continue to worsen as greenhouse gases, such as those released by burning coal, oil, and gas, are added to the atmosphere. According to an analysis by the scientific initiative World Weather Attribution (WWA), the temperature spikes of the late June 2026 heatwave would have been “practically impossible” in June 1976, and highly improbable during any other season.
