In his keynote speech Dr Hoffmann gave a brief overview of existing correlations in the development of heatwaves over Europe in a large-scale and climatic context. In his outlook for this summer, which will be characterised by major events such as the European Football Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in Paris, being prepared for heatwaves is a central political task. "Even if possible scenarios are less reliable today than they were a few decades ago, the average number of days surpassing 30 degrees celsius in Germany have doubled. This is due to changes in the large-scale weather patterns over Europe, which are largely caused by global warming", says Peter Hoffmann. "Heatwaves such as those in 1994, 2006 and 2020 can last longer than usual or also fail to materialise at all".
Dr Hoffmann's presentation was followed by further contributions from the German Weather Service (DWD) on early warning systems, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on heat monitoring, the German Alliance for Climate Climate Change and Health (KLUG) and the German Red Cross (DRK). The Minister's conclusion was positive throughout and feels well-prepared for the upcoming summer with the knowledge shared by the academic community.
