Record heat – How fast are temperatures rising due to the climate crisis?

Why do new heat records keep being set?

The man-made greenhouse effect is causing temperatures to rise. The rays of the sun that reach the Earth can no longer escape into the universe. The main culprit is a dense layer of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases that settle in the atmosphere. Since these rays cannot go anywhere they remain trapped on Earth meaning temperatures rise and new heat records are set.

The human enhanced greenhouse effect sets heat records. Image: gndr.org

What is Germany’s highest temperature to date?

All three of the most recent record heatwaves in Germany were set in the last five years. Astonishingly, this means that almost every year a new heat record has been set. These records are occurring because of global warming.

Below is a table setting out Germany’s most recent heat records:

Date	Location	Temperature
25 July 2019	Duisburg-Baerl and Tönisvorst, North Rhine-Westphalia	41.2°C
24 July 2019	NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, near Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia	40.5°C
5 July 2015	Kitzingen, Bayern	40.3°C

How much has the temperature risen in Germany?

Year	Deviation
2018	+2,7°C
2020	+2,6°C
2019	+2,5°C
2014	+2,5°C
2015	+2,1°C
2007	+2,1°C
2000	+2,1°C
1994	+1,9°C
2017	+1,8°C
2011	+1,8°C
2002	+1,8°C
The hottest years in Germany

Since 1962, every decade has been warmer than the one before. Since 1992, every decade has also broken a new heat record. Additionally, according to the Deutscher Wetterdienst’s fact paper, the 2012-2021 decade is “almost two degrees warmer than the reference period of 1881-1910”.

The paper states that over the entire period from 1881 to 2021, a rise of 0.12 degrees Celsius occurred each decade, and for the last 50 years (1971-2021), the warming rate was more than three times as high at 0.36 degrees Celsius per decade.

With a warming of 1.6 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial compared to the pre-industrial era, far above the global average of 1.1 degrees Celsius over the same period. One explanation for this is that regions like Germany generally warm up faster than marine regions.

As you can see in the table seven out of eleven of the warmest years since recording started in Germany have been measured this decade.

What are the consequences of these heat records?

Gerhard Adrian, President of the Deutscher Wetterdienst, Extreme Weather Congress 2022:

We are the first generation to analyse the effects of man-made climate change so comprehensively and forensically. This knowledge can no longer be swept under the table.

Heat waves have wider consequences for us humans. Forest fires and water shortages as well as crop failures and agricultural challenges. For some people, the extreme heat can also lead to health problems, including:

Skin rash due to sweating
Water retention (oedema) in the lower legs and ankles
Dizziness when standing or brief unconsciousness
painful muscle cramps, e.g. after exercise
Heat exhaustion: weakness, fatigue, headache, dizziness, and low blood pressure while body temperature is normal or below 40°C
Heat stroke: body temperature over 40°C, disturbed consciousness, possible cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea, and low blood pressure

How can we stop these heat records from occurring?

If we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we can slow down the greenhouse effect. At ForTomorrow, [we buy emissions rights from industry]/de/emissionsrechte) and cancel them. In this way, we force high-emitting companies to emit less CO₂, accelerating the energy transition. You can be a part of it.