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Heat Extremes, Public Health Impacts, and Adaptation Policy in Germany

Author

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  • Hans-Guido Mücke

    (Department of Environmental Hygiene, German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt/UBA), Corrensplatz 1, 14195 Berlin, Germany)

  • Jutta Maria Litvinovitch

    (Unit ‘Health in Climate Change’, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit/BMU), P.O. Box 120629, 53048 Bonn, Germany)

Abstract

Global warming with increasing weather extremes, like heat events, is enhancing impacts to public health. This essay focuses on unusual extreme summer heat extremes occurring in Germany at higher frequency, longer duration, and with new temperature records. Large areas of the country are affected, particularly urban settlements, where about 77% of the population lives, which are exposed to multiple inner-city threats, such as urban heat islands. Because harm to public health is directly released by high ambient air temperatures, local and national studies on heat-related morbidity and mortality indicate that vulnerable groups such as the elderly population are predominantly threatened with heat-related health problems. After the severe mortality impacts of the extreme summer heat 2003 in Europe, in 2008, Germany took up the National Adaptation Strategy on Climate Change to tackle and manage the impacts of weather extremes, for example to protect people’s health against heat. Public health systems and services need to be better prepared to improve resilience to the effects of extreme heat events, e.g., by implementing heat health action plans. Both climate protection as well as adaptation are necessary in order to be able to respond as adequate as possible to the challenges posed by climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Hans-Guido Mücke & Jutta Maria Litvinovitch, 2020. "Heat Extremes, Public Health Impacts, and Adaptation Policy in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-14, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:21:p:7862-:d:435364
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vladimir Kendrovski & Michela Baccini & Gerardo Sanchez Martinez & Tanja Wolf & Elizabet Paunovic & Bettina Menne, 2017. "Quantifying Projected Heat Mortality Impacts under 21st-Century Warming Conditions for Selected European Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, July.
    2. Ana Casanueva & Annkatrin Burgstall & Sven Kotlarski & Alessandro Messeri & Marco Morabito & Andreas D. Flouris & Lars Nybo & Christoph Spirig & Cornelia Schwierz, 2019. "Overview of Existing Heat-Health Warning Systems in Europe," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-22, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Elisabeth Pfleger & Hans Drexler & Regina Lutz, 2024. "Health Literacy and Environmental Risks Focusing Air Pollution: Results from a Cross-Sectional Study in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-19, March.
    2. Sven Schneider & Alexandra von Winning & Fiona Grüger & Stefan Anderer & Robert Hoffner & Lilian Anderson, 2022. "Physical Activity, Climate Change and Health—A Conceptual Model for Planning Public Health Action at the Organizational Level," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-13, April.
    3. Juliane Kemen & Silvia Schäffer-Gemein & Johanna Grünewald & Thomas Kistemann, 2021. "Heat Perception and Coping Strategies: A Structured Interview-Based Study of Elderly People in Cologne, Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-19, July.

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