19 Sep. Europe must protect itself better against climate disasters!

Europe must protect itself better against climate disasters! While many EU Member States are battling desertification, drought and forest fires, there are also more and more heavy rains and floods. Especially after the devastating floods in Central and Eastern Europe and the ongoing forest fires in Portugal, I am calling for the EU to react and pursue its climate targets more consistently. The increasingly regular occurrence of extreme weather events is undoubtedly due to man-made climate change! Since 2014, around 80 percent of municipalities in Germany have been affected by extreme weather events, but only a few have adaptation plans. That has to change! On the one hand, we need to be better prepared for extreme weather events, and on the other hand, we need to drive forward the implementation of EU restoration laws to restore damaged ecosystems and avoid flood-promoting land sealing with the same intensity. This increases resilience to extreme weather events and helps to combat the climate crisis!