https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Germany in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed More than 200,000 lives have been lost to the "silent killer" of extreme heat in Europe since 2022, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, after a heatwave saw some countries record their highest-ever May temperatures. https://www.thelocal.de/20260611/silent-killer-extreme-heat-claims-more-than-200000-lives-in-europe Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:08:53 +0200 silent-killer-extreme-heat-claims-more-than-200000-lives-in-europe The UN climate chief said Wednesday that a record-breaking early heatwave scorching a swathe of western Europe was "a brutal reminder of the spiralling impacts of the climate crisis". https://www.thelocal.de/20260527/europe-heatwave-a-brutal-reminder-of-climate-change Wed, 27 May 2026 15:22:09 +0200 europe-heatwave-a-brutal-reminder-of-climate-change A heatwave has gripped large parts of western Europe. Although Germany has not seen a record high for the month of May, temperatures are well into the 30s. https://www.thelocal.de/20260527/where-the-heatwave-has-hit-germany-hardest-this-week Wed, 27 May 2026 11:20:53 +0200 where-the-heatwave-has-hit-germany-hardest-this-week Europe, which is in the throes of a record-smashing heatwave this week, is the world's fastest-warming continent and stretches into an even more rapidly heating Arctic. https://www.thelocal.de/20260526/explained-why-europe-is-the-worlds-fastest-warming-continent Tue, 26 May 2026 21:00:20 +0200 explained-why-europe-is-the-worlds-fastest-warming-continent A wind turbine billed as the world's tallest is rising in eastern Germany, winning praise as a beacon for a clean, green energy future and headwinds from the far-right AfD party. https://www.thelocal.de/20260522/giant-wind-turbine-rises-in-brandenburg-taking-on-far-right-headwinds Fri, 22 May 2026 11:21:52 +0200 giant-wind-turbine-rises-in-brandenburg-taking-on-far-right-headwinds An environmental advocacy group is taking the German government back to court over "inadequate" climate action plans, the group announced Thursday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260507/environmental-group-challenges-germanys-climate-plan-in-court Thu, 07 May 2026 11:21:07 +0200 environmental-group-challenges-germanys-climate-plan-in-court Germany released its latest climate action plan, which purportedly aims to meet the country's goals of achieving significant emissions cuts by 2030 and later years. But environmental groups say the measures announced are not nearly enough. https://www.thelocal.de/20260325/environmental-groups-say-germanys-new-climate-action-plan-is-deceptive Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:14:27 +0100 environmental-groups-say-germanys-new-climate-action-plan-is-deceptive Germany risks missing its climate targets for 2030 and 2045, according to a draft of the government's climate action plan obtained by AFP on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.de/20260211/germany-at-risk-of-missing-2030-climate-targets Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:00:59 +0100 germany-at-risk-of-missing-2030-climate-targets Germany’s greenhouse gas emission cuts slowed sharply in 2025 as the North Sea experienced its warmest year on record, piling pressure Wednesday on the conservative-led government to boost climate protection efforts. https://www.thelocal.de/20260107/north-sea-sees-warmest-year-on-record-as-german-emissions-cuts-slow Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:26:50 +0100 north-sea-sees-warmest-year-on-record-as-german-emissions-cuts-slow The share of renewables in German power production almost stagnated in 2025, data showed Monday, as concerns grow about a shift away from green policies under conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz. https://www.thelocal.de/20260105/germanys-energy-transition-put-on-the-back-burner-in-2025 Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:02:10 +0100 germanys-energy-transition-put-on-the-back-burner-in-2025 The German capital has set a new precedent by becoming the first state to adopt a Climate Adaptation Act. The law says that the city should have one million trees in fifteen years time, to be financed in part by the federal government's special fund. https://www.thelocal.de/20251105/berlins-new-law-promises-a-million-trees-by-2040 Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:59:56 +0100 berlins-new-law-promises-a-million-trees-by-2040 The morning sun shines on lush vines as harvesters pick grapes. The hillside vineyard looks like it could be in Italy but lies near Berlin, where climate change has transformed winemaking. https://www.thelocal.de/20250921/warmer-climate-boosts-north-german-vineyards-for-now Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:08:06 +0200 warmer-climate-boosts-north-german-vineyards-for-now Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has slammed the fact that budget flights between destinations in Europe are still often significantly cheaper than travelling by train. https://www.thelocal.de/20250822/unfair-budget-flights-in-europe-up-to-26-times-cheaper-than-train-routes Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:32:46 +0200 unfair-budget-flights-in-europe-up-to-26-times-cheaper-than-train-routes Wildfires have so far ravaged more than one million hectares of land in European Union countries this year, a record since recording began in 2006, according to AFP analysis of official data. https://www.thelocal.de/20250822/record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:56:46 +0200 record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Photos taken at various locations year after year give a sense of just how quickly parts of Germany are changing as the climate warms. https://www.thelocal.de/20250820/in-pictures-how-the-climate-crisis-is-visibly-changing-germany Wed, 20 Aug 2025 18:26:58 +0200 in-pictures-how-the-climate-crisis-is-visibly-changing-germany Natural disasters like floods and fires destroy homes and displace people around the world each year, including in Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20250729/map-where-in-germany-residents-have-been-force-to-move-by-extreme-weather Tue, 29 Jul 2025 14:47:40 +0200 map-where-in-germany-residents-have-been-force-to-move-by-extreme-weather Human-caused climate change made recent European heatwaves up to 4C hotter in many cities, pushing temperatures into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people, scientists have said. https://www.thelocal.de/20250709/climate-change-made-european-heatwave-up-to-4c-hotter-study Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:03:43 +0200 climate-change-made-european-heatwave-up-to-4c-hotter-study Germany has just been hit by a punishing, record-breaking heatwave that had a major impact on how the country functioned. With more extreme heat to come here's what we can expect in future. https://www.thelocal.de/20250703/school-closures-to-rail-disruptions-how-germanys-record-breaking-heatwave-hit-the-country Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:14:18 +0200 school-closures-to-rail-disruptions-how-germanys-record-breaking-heatwave-hit-the-country Short, intense summer rainfall in Europe's Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future because of global warming, according to a study released Thursday by the University of Lausanne (UNIL). https://www.thelocal.de/20250620/climate-change-could-double-summer-rainfall-in-the-alps-study Fri, 20 Jun 2025 16:44:32 +0200 climate-change-could-double-summer-rainfall-in-the-alps-study Europe has thousands of incredible swimming spots around its beaches, lakes and rivers, but which countries have the cleanest and dirtiest waters? https://www.thelocal.de/20250621/revealed-where-in-europe-has-the-cleanest-and-dirtiest-swimming-spots Sat, 21 Jun 2025 11:12:22 +0200 revealed-where-in-europe-has-the-cleanest-and-dirtiest-swimming-spots