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Heatwave Shows Germany Needs More Action on Climate, Merkel Says

Heatwave Shows Germany Needs More Action on Climate, Merkel Says

(Bloomberg) -- The blistering heatwave that struck Germany and other parts of Europe last month shows the country needs to take further action to protect the environment, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her weekly podcast.

“Extreme weather events are becoming more common,” Merkel said. “Together we must react to the situation.”

The increased use of renewable energy, along with efforts to prevent the Earth’s temperature from climbing by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (a change of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), demonstrate that “we’re on the right track,” Merkel said. “However, we must do more.”

Meteorologists blamed climate change for sending a blast of air from the Sahara desert into Western Europe. The sweltering heat echoes a sustained drought in 2018 across Germany that halted shipping on the Rhine River, hampered power generation, sparked forest fires and forced the country to import grain for the first time in 24 years.

Under the Paris climate accord, Germany has pledged to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 55% by 2030. However, it’s falling behind and a cut of only 32% is expected by next year. The government’s climate cabinet will decide later this year what measures to take to cut CO2 pollution caused by vehicles and buildings.

In her podcast, the chancellor said the government has introduced a program to make towns and cities “greener,” and is helping farmers to overcome extreme weather conditions from droughts to torrential rain. Part of the solution is to develop soil and crops that are more resistant to climate change, Merkel said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Blackman in Berlin at ablackman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, James Amott

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