In Germany, record heat meets climate action fatigue

Key Points:

• Four years after climate activist Lars Werner warned of severe impacts like the Rhine drying up, Germany faces record heat-related deaths, droughts, forest fires, and economic disruption, yet the federal government has not convened a "heat summit" or implemented comprehensive climate policies.
• The "Last Generation" protests have ceased due to repression, leaving Fridays for Future Germany as the primary critic of government inaction, but public climate demonstrations have significantly declined since 2019 despite widespread concern about climate change.
• Political divisions within the governing coalition hinder unified climate action, with the SPD pushing for constitutional amendments and renewable energy expansion, while the CDU/CSU remain skeptical and favor short-term fixes like lifting truck driving bans and supporting gas over renewables.
• Broader geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine and the Gaza conflict, along with economic concerns and pandemic effects, have diverted public and political attention away from climate activism and policy urgency in Germany.
• Some political leaders, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have expressed skepticism about Germany's ability to impact global climate change alone, undermining efforts to accelerate national climate neutrality goals set for 2045.