H-BRS bulletin: Extreme heat is a ‘silent catastrophe’

H-BRS: How do you explain the fact that the heat-related deaths this summer and their consequences are not being discussed nearly as intensively in the media and in politics as, for example, the flood disaster of 2021?

Best: This is partly because, unlike river flooding, a heatwave is not a shock limited to a specific local or regional area, but affects a much wider area. There is also a lack of dramatic imagery: people are dying in care homes, in hospitals and in their own homes. Extreme heat is a ‘silent disaster’, yet it is nonetheless the deadliest of the direct consequences of the climate crisis. 

H-BRS: Nevertheless, the public’s attention has been focused on other aspects.

Best: There was increased discussion this summer about indirect consequences. The economic cost of a day with temperatures above 30 degrees was quantified at 431 million euros in a study by Prognos. The main cost driver is reduced labour productivity – every additional degree above 25 degrees reduces productivity by two per cent. 

Many media outlets also reported this summer on the effects of the heat on health, mental wellbeing and infrastructure. Many municipalities are already working on their heat protection plans. My suggestion is that, rather than waiting for the perfect solution, we should publish initial findings and present them to policymakers – even if the overall package is not yet finalised and all issues of responsibility have not yet been clarified.

H-BRS: What other aspects are relevant to the climate crisis?  

Best: The cultural and psychological consequences of the climate crisis, as well as social justice, are increasingly coming to the fore. Emotions such as worry, grief and even envy play a role here. This may also include envy of the ability of the wealthy to adapt, who may have been able to escape extreme heat by taking a spontaneous trip abroad. Rising costs for fossil fuels hit people on lower incomes harder, because they spend a proportionately larger amount on transport and heating, and they may have limited scope for action, as they might not be able to counteract this through energy-efficient renovations, a new heat pump or the purchase of an electric car. 

H-BRS: What do you think needs to be done now?

Best: Now that temperatures are falling again, the sense of urgency is waning. But it seems important to me that we use this time to prepare for the next hot summers. This could include, for example, ensuring easy access to public ‘cool places’. In some cities, museums already offer free entry during periods of extreme heat. Many museums are air-conditioned. This is a relatively cost-effective measure, as local authorities primarily need to define the relevant process and compensate for manageable losses in revenue. At the same time, they are doing something positive for cultural education and the city’s cultural institutions.

H-BRS: And what must and can be done for the elderly and those in need of care?

Best: To protect vulnerable groups, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia intends to make funding of 287 million euros available between 2027 and 2030 for heat protection in the care and health sectors. That is good, but it is unsatisfactory. Funding and grants of this kind should be expanded to enable the energy-efficient modernisation of hospitals, nurseries, schools and care homes, and to implement measures for protection against summer heat.

H-BRS: But funding alone is unlikely to be enough, is it?

Best: Politicians and public authorities cannot tackle the many new socio-ecological risks associated with the climate crisis on their own. Rather, cultural and societal adaptation is also required. In this context, it is worth noting that we are all currently experimenting with ways to cope effectively with the heat. This involves many small practices, such as rescheduling university exams to off-peak times, neighbours helping elderly and lonely people, providing children in nurseries and schools with damp, cool towels, and installing makeshift shading, particularly for south- and south-west-facing windows. All of this helps to mitigate the effects of extreme heat.

H-BRS: At the university, you prepare your students to play a part in such adaptation processes within politics and public administration. What advice do you give them to take with them?

Best: In our new Master’s programme ‘Public Policy & Transformation’, students learn key skills for working in the fields of social and climate policy. As a university of applied sciences, we have strong collaborative networks with regional partners from the fields of public administration, political consultancy and business. Our Master’s programme includes modules in the fields of communication, ethics, political science and inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research, enabling students to engage with a wide range of career-relevant content, which they work on in a practical, hands-on manner in small teams.