Erfurt under the heat alarm: Is the city ready for the embers?

Erfurt under the heat alarm: Is the city ready for the embers?

A yellow card for Erfurt: In the current heat check of the German environmental aid, it can be seen that the Thuringian state capital, with a heat-friendly index of 15.89, among the 190 German cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants in midfield. Erfurt is the city in Thuringia, which suffers most from the heat. The average surface temperature from 2021 to 2024 was 35 degrees Celsius. Gera did comparatively with 14.41, Weimar with 14.39 and Jena with 14.38, the temperatures of which are on average at 34 degrees. This can be seen from thueringen24.de.

Deutsche Environmental Aid used the heat-fleet index for the first time for this heat check to capture the load within the cities. It takes into account factors such as high temperatures, dense sealing and the lack of green areas. A total of 31 cities received a red card for high heat load, while 131 cities were provided with a yellow card and 28 cities with a green card for low heat load. Over 12 million people in German cities are exposed to extreme heat lettings, such as duh.de reports.

rising temperatures and sealing

An essential part of the problem lies in the high sealing of areas. With almost 45%, Erfurt has the highest seal in Thuringia, followed by Gera (40%) and Jena/Weimar (37%each). These factors contribute significantly to the increase in temperature in the cities and make the need for measures to adapt to the heat all the more urgent. And that is not an isolated case: climate change ensures increasing heat load, with considerable negative effects on the health and quality of life of the residents. national-stadtentwicklungspolitik.de draws attention to the fact that there is an urgent need for changes in order to help the cities to make more heat resilience.

In response to the heat problem, Thuringia's state government and municipalities have already taken measures. The climate pact was extended by the state and municipalities, and 27 million euros for climate protection investments are ready. The municipalities also develop heat action plans. For example, Erfurt has set up a "heat phone" to support the population at extreme temperatures and plans to set up more drinking fountains. Jena also plans to specifically support the elderly older people during heat waves.

forward -looking measures

In Gera, work is being done on a municipal heat action plan and the state of Thuringia plans to present a nationwide heat action plan by the end of the year. These strategic steps are necessary to enable people in the affected cities to have a tolerable life.

In a general context, the heat check shows that awareness of the challenges of climate change increases. Overcoming the heating challenges is not an easy task, but with joint efforts and consistent measures, cities such as Erfurt, Jena and Gera potentially cool through the summer.