Greens urge air conditioning drive after Germany's record heat

Germany's opposition Green Party has called for urgent measures to protect the public from extreme heat after the country recorded unprecedented temperatures over the weekend.

Katharina Dröge, co-chair of the Greens' parliamentary group in the Bundestag, accused Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government of failing to protect the population during the heatwave, dpa reports.

"Friedrich Merz may be able to ignore the heat from the air-conditioned Chancellery, but the nursing staff in hospitals cannot," Dröge said. 

"They have to work in sweltering heat, and the elderly in care homes are suffering because there is no air conditioning. That is why we have said we must take urgent action."

After temperatures climbed to a record 41.7 degrees Celsius in eastern Germany on June 28, Dröge called for the immediate installation of air conditioning systems in hospitals, nursing homes, nurseries, and schools.

In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, she also proposed subsidizing solar-powered air conditioning units.

"In summer, we have a situation where solar panels produce so much extremely cheap electricity," Dröge said, arguing that pairing air conditioning systems with rooftop solar panels is both practical and cost-effective.

Beyond expanding cooling infrastructure, Dröge called for more trees and shrubs to be planted in urban areas, saying a single tree can provide cooling equivalent to several air conditioning units.

Warning that extreme heatwaves are becoming the new reality, Dröge said Germany must adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.

"We have to adapt to this. We've already progressed so far with the climate crisis that it can no longer be prevented."

"If we don't take action on climate protection now, in 20 years we'll look back on these summers as being cold," she added.

By Vafa Guliyeva