Germany urged to make heat protection mandatory in disaster response plans

A coalition of German health, care and welfare organisations warned that the country is insufficiently prepared for extreme heat as a crisis situation. The alliance – including the German Medical Association, the KLUG climate‑health group, the German Hospital Association, the Nursing Council and others – called for heat protection to be legally embedded in national crisis and disaster‑management frameworks.

Alliance spokesperson Martin Herrmann said, "Heat protection must therefore be bindingly integrated into crisis preparedness and disaster protection," while BÄK president Klaus Reinhardt warned that prolonged heat periods especially endanger older, ill and care‑dependent people and strain hospitals and care facilities.

Recent data show that temperatures above 27 °C already reduce cognitive performance, and in the summer of 2025 Germany recorded about 2,600 heat‑related deaths, including 140 in Berlin. The Berlin Senate’s heat‑action plan, with roughly 70 measures, focuses on training staff, shading and cooling care homes, and a digital map of cooler city spots. The coalition warns that future heat damage could cost around €112.5 billion, roughly three times the 2021 Ahr valley flood losses, and urges clear crisis‑team activation, communication strategies and cooling infrastructure nationwide.