In Germany, Record Heat Meets Climate Action Fatigue
Climate action does not seem to be a priority for the German government - despite record temperatures, heat-related deaths and drought.
Record heat waves in Germany have sparked a growing climate action fatigue. When Lars Werner from the Last Generation activist group protested four years ago, Germany had not yet experienced the extreme temperatures and heat-related deaths seen in recent years. Now, entire villages have been evacuated due to forest fires, and hospital patients and the elderly in nursing homes face threats to their lives in buildings without air conditioning.
Despite these crises, the federal government has failed to convene a heat summit or implement comprehensive climate protection policies. Fridays for Future, a climate activist movement, finds it difficult to motivate people and criticize political decision-makers on climate policy. Instead, they focus on promoting pseudo-solutions like dredging the Rhine.
The government's lack of action and the rise of hateful speech on social media have made it hard for people to take to the streets and demand climate action. The focus has shifted to Ukraine, Gaza, and other economic concerns, with many climate activists now focusing on different issues.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
