Germany - Climate
Climate is the average weather conditions in a place over a long period of time—30 years or more. Germany is situated in the moderately cool west wind zone between the Atlantic Ocean and the continental climate in the east. Sharp changes in temperature are rare. There is precipitation all the year round. Germany has four seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winters. The spring months are March, April and May, summer is June, July, August, autumn September, October and November and winter the months of December, January and February. Spring is from mid march to about end of June and is pleasant and balmy. Temperature ranges 20 C to a low of 5 C, When the sun doesn't shine it is still quite chilly, light woolens in this weather would do well. Summer is from July to mid September and is really nice. In the warmest months temperatures are between 20 and 26 C but can rise to 30 and more sometimes.
The fall season starts mid September. There might be sunny and balmy days, but most of the time it is raining. It gets colder and windy. There might be storms as well. The Winters are cold and wet but rarely extreme. The temperature ranges from 10 to - 10 C. Snowfall is common throughout most of Germany. In the nights it gets really cold. A warm jacket, shawl and gloves are advisable.
Germany is affected by climate change. Nearly all areas of society are concerned by the consequences. Frost, heat, heavy rain, hail, storms and sea level changes affect the traffic and transport infrastructure. In addition to safety and reliability of infrastructure and transport facilities, climate changes also have an impact on the road users. This does not only affect the traffic itself, but also its economic and social functions. Climate change has an impact on water resources: Rising temperatures, changing precipitation and increasing weather extremes affect the quantity and quality of the available water. Furthermore, coastal regions are additionally affected by rising sea levels and increased storm surges that have an impact on the water balance and can cause severe damages.
Heat waves, heavy rain or water shortage have a direct impact on the agricultural production. Because of this high dependence on weather and climate, it is particularly important for the area of agriculture to know the consequences of climate change and prepare for them in a timely manner. Humans react sensitively to climate changes - mainly to rising temperatures. Their performance and physical well-being can be influenced by heat significantly. Especially elderly and debilitated people and children are affected by the health risks of climate change. Also extreme weather constitutes a growing threat.
Climate-related damage events increase the business risks for insurance companies and banks and can lead to yield losses and higher insurance payments. However, climate change also offers opportunities for this sector. These include, for example, greater insurance demands and new business models. Climate change also entails new tasks and challenges for civil protection. Due to the expected increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the people and their supply are at risk. Especially critical infrastructures may be exposed to risks as a result of future climate change.
Germany has also set itself ambitious climate targets. With the 2010 energy concept, which builds on the Integrated Energy and Climate Programme of 2007, targets were set out for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding renewable energy sources and increasing energy efficiency. The main objective of the energy concept is to ensure a climate-compatible, reliable and affordable energy supply for Germany. This goal was also agreed on by the German government in the 2013 coalition agreement. The German government is also advocating the continued integration of this triad of targets at EU level: greenhouse gas reduction, expanding renewable energies and increasing energy efficiency.
Scientists issued urgent warnings about climate change in 2018. Germany's summertime temperatures hit record highs. In summer 2018, Germany's beer gardens were overflowing with people. The nighttime heat rivaled temperatures in southern Italy. A national drought led to crop failures and rivers so low that the shipping routes became impassable. Forest fires raged with an intensity that the country had never seen before. Nevertheless, the government has lost its enthusiasm for tackling climate issues. Almost 40 percent of electricity in Germany already comes from renewables, but the country needs to catch up when it comes to transportation and construction. And there has to be an end date for the use of coal.
According to opinion polls, Germans overwhelmingly believed that climate change was a problem; many people are worried about it. At the same time in Germany, a country with a reputation as a world leader on environmental protection, courts were enforcing driving bans on diesel cars in more and more cities because they exceed the European Union's emissions limits. Politicians held frantic summits on diesel. None of this as helped, and the highest-powered cars produced in Germany continue to emit too many harmful substances! The government finally acknowledged that its stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020 is not even remotely achievable.
At a press conference in Berlin, however, the premiers of the eastern states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg told the federal government not to give up on coal just yet. There are 10,000 people still working in coal mines in eastern Germany, where opinion polls show that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which denies that climate change is caused by human activity, is ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats in some instances. At the press conference, it was clear that the three state leaders were afraid of the AfD.
Over 100 people were reported dead and hundreds missing 16 July 2021 in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands after heavy storms and rainfall caused rivers and water reservoirs to burst their banks and flash floods turned streets into raging torrents, sweeping away cars and destroying buildings. Over the preevious several weeks, Germany had experienced a roller coaster ride of high temperatures and dryness followed by episodes of heavy precipitation. On Wednesday and Thursday, that phenomenon was punctuated by catastrophic flooding in multiple regions across western Germany and neighboring countries. Experts say such extreme weather used to happen once in a generation but may happen more frequently in the future — and with more intensity.
Rising temperatures make extreme weather events more intense. When air heats up it contains more moisture, a phenomenon scientists discovered back in the 19th century. An increase of 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in temperature increases air's capacity to hold moisture by 7%. Rising global temperatures are also leading to a more rapid evaporation of water on land and at sea — subsequently causing more extreme precipitation events and heavier storms.
The statement on the problems associated with climate change issued by the German Meteorological Society on 9 October 2007 briefly summarizes the changes which can be anticipated in Germany in the next 3 decades:
| Weather element | Anticipated change | Reliability | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 1,7 °C warmer than in 1900, particularly winters and nights | Very good | Earlier emergence of plants Increased heat stress Thawing of permafrost in the Alps (more rockfalls) |
| Periods of extreme heat | More frequent, more severe | Very good | High impact on health Stress for the biosphere More forest fires |
| Alpine glaciers | Reduction in area of 60% and of mass of 80% since 1850 | Very good | Extreme fluctuations in run off |
| Seal-level rise | Approximately 10 cm higher than today | Very good | Threat to the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts |
| Precipitation | Drier summers, wetter autumns and winters with more rain and less snow, Unprecedentedly high amounts of precipitation on single occasions | Good | Greater danger of flooding (in part due to undersized drainage systems) |
| Dry or drought periods | More frequent | Reasonable | Agriculture, the energy sector and inland waterway transport affected Greater risk of forest fires |
| Thunderstorms | More severe | Reasonable | Greater risks due to heavy rain, hail, storm gusts |
| Lightning | Much more frequently | Good | Increased damage |
| Tornadoes | More frequent | Low | Increased damage |
| Storm surges | Up to 20 cm higher | Good | Greater threat to the North Sea coast |
| Ozone layer | Greatest thinning out around 2010; very slow recovery since | Good | Higher long-term exposure to UV radiation, higher risk of skin diseases |
| Extra tropical (winter) storms | Tendency for more violent, but possibly fewer, storms following different tracks* | Uncertain | Considerable risk of damages |
Turbidity, Aerosols | Uncertain | Uncertain |
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