Climate change causes billions in losses: Germany is particularly affected!

Climate change causes billions in losses: Germany is particularly affected!

Extreme weather and climate events have caused great economic damage in Europe in recent decades. According to a recent analysis by Focus was published, Germany leads the ranking of the most affected countries. Since 1980, economic losses in the EU due to such events have amounted to around 790 billion euros. Germany alone is responsible for around 180 billion euros of this damage, while Italy and France each lose over 130 billion euros.

The main causes of this significant damage are floods and heat waves. Experts assume that both the intensity and frequency of climate extremes will increase in the future, which will have more serious economic consequences for the affected countries. Wealthy countries in particular are better prepared for reconstruction. In countries such as Spain and France, claims management is improving through public-private insurance systems, although many EU countries continue to have significant insurance gaps. Only Denmark and Norway are able to cover more than half of the damage.

Consequences of the 2021 flood disaster

The flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in July 2021, which cost private households around 14 billion euros, illustrates the challenges Germany is facing. This tragedy claimed 135 lives and affected approximately 18,000 residents. During this natural disaster, it was observed that only a few of those affected were insured against natural disasters. Overall, the total damage from the severe weather events in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia is estimated at 40 billion euros.

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events in Germany and elsewhere is a direct consequence of climate change, according to the analysis WWF shows. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from August 2021 deals in detail with the physical basis of climate change. Accordingly, the Earth's surface temperature and the concentration of greenhouse gases are increasing unabated.

Global warming and its effects

The increase in extreme weather events such as heavy rain and extreme heat is closely linked to global warming. Coastal flooding that once occurred every 100 years could become an annual event in the future, according to forecasts. In Western Europe, climate change has increased the probability of heavy rainfall by 1.2 to 9 times, which is also confirmed by the flood disaster in Germany, which cost over 180 lives.

The World Weather Attribution Initiative study shows that human activities, such as soil sealing and river straightening, are further exacerbating flood risks. It is therefore necessary to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. The recommendations for the new federal government focus on climate and environmental protection, the expansion of renewable energies and a faster move away from fossil energies.

Ecological solutions, such as the recovery of natural floodplains and the renaturation of water bodies, could make a decisive contribution to improving flood protection and increasing resilience to future extreme weather events.