BERLIN, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Germany's environment minister Steffi Lemke on Thursday presented an immediate action program to help municipalities to better adapt to the consequences of climate change.
The package of measures was designed to "quickly put initial steps and measures into practice," according to the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).
The program focuses on supporting municipalities by expanding funding programs and building up expertise, providing tailored on-site advice and better training for local experts, as well as raising awareness and informing citizens, according to the BMUV.
"The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change relentlessly describes the effects of the climate crisis," Lemke said. The need for adaptation and precautionary measures would become "more acute in the future with every tenth of a degree of global warming."
"Municipalities are particularly affected by the impacts of heat, storms, heavy rain or other extreme weather events," Lemke said.
Back in July 2021, devastating floods caused immense economic damage and claimed around 190 lives in Germany. Around 30 billion euros (33 billion U.S. dollars) have been provided for the reconstruction fund. (1 euro = 1.10 U.S. dollars) ■