Germany and climate change

Floods, heatwaves and wildfires are some of the climate change impacts that are seriously affecting Germany. The floods of late May and early June 2024 were precipitated by extreme and continuous rainfalls. According to an article by the German news outlet DW.com, “in southern Germany dams…burst after days of heavy rainfall, flooding towns and forcing thousands to evacuate,” and that “initial assessments suggest some places experiencing more in 24 hours than the average for an entire month. Numerous streams and rivers have burst their banks, flooding entire towns and villages.” The article argues that climate change, which is caused by the widespread use of fossil fuels, is largely responsible for triggering extraordinary climate occurrences like extreme rainfalls and floods.

Reporting live from the flood scenes on 4th June, 2024, BBC.com is quite descriptive regarding some of the events that were taking place, for example, it states, “Flood waters are continuing to rise in parts of southern Germany, and are now spreading down the Danube to Austria and Hungary.” The Danube River is one of the largest in Europe, it originates in Germany and flows across international boundaries into several countries. It flows mostly eastward and enters the Black Sea from the Ukrainian territory. In Germany itself, based on BBC.com live reports, “water levels in the historic city of Passau, where three rivers meet, have now risen close to 10m (32ft).” Passau is a primary stop for tourists on boat cruises, with three rivers colliding and its idyllic landscape, it has become a favorite spot for European vacationers.

Devastating floods hit Germany three years earlier, in July 2021. According to DW.com, “It was one of the worst natural disasters Germany has experienced. Torrential rain overnight from July 14 to 15, 2021 transformed the Ahr river in western Germany into a raging monster that swept away people, houses, bridges and railway sleepers.” The publication reports that 135 people lost their lives in Rhineland-Palatinate state, and the impact of the floods was so severe that the federal and state authorities put together a $33 billion package to assist citizens in their rebuilding efforts. The German Ahr River valley is known globally for its wine industry, and at the time, the floods’ impact on the industry was devastating.

A June 2025 article by Clearenergywire.org says, “Around 3,000 people have died due to high temperatures during each of the past two summers in Germany, said both the country’s environment agency (UBA) and its disease control authority.” It goes on to argue that it’s the elderly that were most vulnerable to the heatwaves, especially those with pre-existing medical conditions.

Heatwaves cause extremely dry conditions and this in turn could spark massive wildfires. In April 2025, “the forest fires in north Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, come after weeks of unusually dry weather,” according to DW.com. Apart from the fires in Rhine-Westphalia the article reports on four additional fires, it says, “A large-scale operation was underway in the town of Sundern, about 43 kilometers (26.7 miles) southwest of Dortmund, where a fire in a remote wooded area spanning some 20,000 square meters was raging.” The other three fires included one “near Simmerath, southeast of Aachen on the border with Belgium” and one each “in Overath and in a forest in Wuppertal.” The article stresses that the heatwaves, the wildfires and the lack of rainfall affected economic activities not only in the fire-affected areas but also in many other regions of the country.

Massive wildfires broke out in Germany in 2023. A report in June of that year by DW.com says, “Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Brandenburg, Taunus, Bavaria: After weeks of drought, forests are burning in many German regions. And there’s little relief in sight.” At the time of the fires, Germany was experiencing temperatures exceeding 30 degrees centigrade (86 Degrees Fahrenheit), with the absence of rainfall for many weeks. Widespread evacuations and poor air quality in the affected areas were two of the immediate consequences of the fires.

From the standpoint of electricity generation, Germany has been relatively successful in increasing its use of clean or renewable energy. According to Ember-Energy.org (updated 14 April 2026), “59% of Germany’s electricity was generated from clean sources in 2025, below the EU [European Union] average of 71%,” while 41% was produced with the use of fossil fuels. The 59% includes 45% from solar and wind sources. Ember-Energy says, “Germany’s largest clean power source in 2025 was wind (27%) followed by solar (18%). Combined, wind and solar reached 45%—above the EU average of 30%.”

As described by cleanenergywire.org, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Germany is not as robust as observers had expected. “Following a 27 percent reduction in sales of new battery electric cars (BEV) in Germany in 2024, a total of 1.65 million BEVs were registered in the country by January 1, 2025…the lacklustre year means Germany is behind meeting its target of having 15 million electric cars on the country’s road by 2030.” The decline in sales is attributed to the phasing out of government subsidies due to financial constraints. As stated by Clean Energy Wire, electric cars represent about 3.3% of the 49 million cars on the road in Germany, which indicates that the overwhelming majority of cars sold are dependent on fossil fuels. The article draws reference to the fact that to a great extent, European Union law, which also applies to Germany, puts carbon emission limits on new cars being sold by auto manufacturers in the European Union, and car companies are fined for contravention of the law. This means that, despite a lack of robust sales, German car manufacturers are compelled to invest in electric vehicle manufacturing in order to continue to operate in the industry.

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