During the summer months between 2018 and 2020, more than 19,000 people in Germany died due to heat, according to an analysis by the Robert Koch Institute, the German Weather Service, and the Federal Environment Agency. In July 2022, there was also a significant excess mortality due to heat, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office.
Heat is the greatest health risk posed by climate change in Germany. It can be dangerous for everyone, and the risk will continue to increase in the coming years. A study conducted by the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour (IPB) at the University of Erfurt in May 2023 showed that many people with risk factors underestimate their heat risk.
Under the hashtag #DuAuch (You Too), the Healthy Earth – Healthy People Foundation, KLUG – German Alliance on Climate Change and Health, and Sports For Future are raising awareness that even top-fit elite athletes are among the at-risk group in heat and are educating on how we can protect ourselves and others.
Many people do not know that they belong to an at-risk group. This includes not only athletes but also elderly people, children, pregnant women, those in need of care, or homeless individuals. The result is a high number of hospital admissions and several thousand preventable deaths.
It is therefore all the more important that we protect ourselves and others. The first step we can all take is to inform ourselves and others about the dangers of heat and how to protect against them. Follow the example of our professional and extreme athletes Jacqueline Otchere (German pole vault champion), Michael Walther (stand-up paddler), Vivien Endemann (national football player), Sideris Tasiadis (Olympic silver medalist in canoeing), and Miranda Wilson (national badminton player).
At hitze.info, you will find lots of useful information on the topic of heat and heat protection.
In our "Climate and Health Media Service," we have compiled important information for journalists on "heat stress and extreme weather."
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