Calls for greater heat protection measures have grown louder in Germany following a weekend of record temperatures that caused health problems in hospitals and care homes, damage to motorways and disruption on the railways.
The federal government pointed to the responsibility of state and local authorities on Monday, but Katharina Dröge, the parliamentary group leader of the opposition Green Party in the lower house, or Bundestag, accused the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz of doing nothing to protect the public during the hot weather.
"Friedrich Merz may be able to ignore the heat from the air-conditioned Chancellery, but the nursing staff in hospitals cannot," Dröge told public broadcaster ARD on Monday. "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."
As temperatures soared to a record 41.7 degrees Celsius in the east of the country on Sunday, Dröge called for air conditioning to be immediately installed in hospitals, care homes, nurseries and schools.
In the Sunday edition of the Bild tabloid, the politician proposed subsidizing solar-powered air-conditioning units. "In summer, we have a situation where solar panels produce so much extremely cheap electricity," meaning air conditioning combined with a solar panel system is feasible, she said.
Dröge also called for more trees and bushes in urban areas to cool the air, adding that a single tree can replace several air-conditioning units.
Record-breaking heatwaves are already a reality, she said. "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," Dröge added, using a common German term for climate change.
June second-warmest; multiple drownings over weekend
Not only was a temperature record provisionally broken over the weekend, the German Weather Service (DWD) declared on Monday that June 2026 the second-warmest June since records began
The German Life Saving Association (DLRG) reported that at least 26 people - all men and boys - drowned while swimming over the weekend.
Sören Pellmann, parliamentary leader of The Left party, said local authorities should not have to bear the costs of heat protection alone.
Government defends plans
Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said the federal government had made €100 billion ($114 billion) available to states and local authorities from the special infrastructure fund at the start of this legislative term.
"I think that is sufficient and adequate to finance all of this and to carry out this task," the Social Democrat politician said on German public radio Deutschlandfunk, including with regard to calls to equip public buildings with solar-powered air conditioning.
Schneider said he was currently working on federal co-financing for coming years as part of the budget process. Breaking up sealed surfaces in cities, planting trees and providing drinking fountains were key priorities, he said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), wrote on platform X on Sunday that European homes, workplaces and schools were not designed for such extreme temperatures. "More than 1300 excess deaths have been recorded since [June 21] linked to high temperatures in Europe," he said.
Heat strikes care homes, hospitals
At care homes for the elderly in Dormagen and Krefeld in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous residents had to be moved to safety from overheated parts of the buildings on Saturday due to health problems.
Eugen Brysch, board member of the German Patient Protection Foundation, said investment of €30 billion in heat protection for hospitals and care facilities would need to begin nationwide by next year at the latest. Solar-powered air conditioning systems were an effective solution.
"Instead of passing the buck to each other, the federal government, states and local authorities must now act together," said Brysch. He said the federal government should cover the costs in full, as municipalities, hospitals and care facilities did not have sufficient funds of their own.
The German Hospital Association also said existing funds were insufficient and that more heat-related patients should be expected in future.
The Federal Health Ministry cited a heat protection plan and a fund of €29 billion. "We are doing what we can and what we are permitted to do, but we cannot change the federal structure," a spokeswoman said.
