The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track planetary extreme, or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😜
Here is a new feature for this blog, which I will add daily. This is the latest inciteful Green News Report from my friends Desi Doyen and Brad Friedman at Progressive Voices. Hit ‘continue reading,’ listen, then hit return to see my daily topics:
Main Topic: CAT5 Heatwave Ember Causes Political Fallout in Germany
Dear Diary. The heatwaves of 2026 are starting to have more consequences than just health problems. The one in Europe I’ve dubbed Ember has raised the ire of people all across that continent, which will make for political implications. CAT5 Ember was hot enough to kill thousands. By this point Europeans are clamoring for more climate change initiatives and for much greater distribution of air conditioning in buildings and homes.
As far as major CAT3 U.S. Heatwave Bluestone goes, it might briefly get up to my historic CAT4 level the next few days if all-time record highs are broached, but will it move the political needle enough such that mobs of people with pitch forks come after Trump’s fossil fuel loving cronies? Nope, as opposed to Europe we have widespread AC. At some point though, a heatwave worse than one from say 2012 will stir up political will in the good old U.S. of A.
I invite all to read Bob Henson and Dr. Jeff Master’s writeup on these heatwaves:
For today let’s delve into how Heatwave Ember has affected German politics:
Germany’s heatwave has a political fallout
Story by Jens Thurau
Jun 30, 2026
Fountains and even police water cannon provided relief to citydwellers© Christoph Hardt/Panama Pictures/picture alliance
This last weekend saw recording-breaking temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (just over 107 degrees Fahrenheit), with limited opportunities to cool down at night and water shortages. These are life-threatening situations for retirement and nursing homes and hospitals with little or no air conditioning.
One reason for this is that Germany doesn’t have any national heat protection regulations that would require cooling systems in such facilities.
Infrastructure was also affected, with trains and trams unable to function and the asphalt on many roads cracking.
Experts have been issuing warnings for a long time. Speaking on Deutschlandfunk Radio (DLF), Andreas Becker, a climate expert at the German Weather Service, said that temperatures in Germany are rising steadily and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Europe hit hardest by global warming
According to the Federal Environment Agency, around 50 hectares of land were turned into residential, transportation and commercial areas in Germany every single day between 2021 and 2024. In other words: Every day in Germany, 70 soccer fields’ worth of natural areas disappeared.
Sealing soil prevents rainwater from seeping into the ground, leading to severe flooding during heavy rainfall. In addition, sealed surfaces can no longer allow water to evaporate, causing cities to heat up excessively and creating dangerously hot urban areas.
So, what can policymakers do to ensure the country is better prepared for extreme temperatures in the future?
Plans for cities already exist, but implementing them takes time and is expensive. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider from Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) said Monday on public broadcaster ARD that he does not believe it is up to the federal government in Berlin to lead the way in adapting to climate change. “The responsibility lies with the federal states and municipalities,” he said. “For example, I cannot even provide financial support because Germany’s Basic Law prohibits me from doing so.”
The environment minister did promise to discuss with his conservative coalition partners the possibility of amending the Basic Law so that the federal government could take a more active role in implementing such changes. But he added that states and municipalities do have around €100 billion ($114 billion) available for climate projects thanks to the €500 billion infrastructure program approved after last year’s federal election.
Climate Council: Germany set to miss its own climate targets
Greenhouse gases are primarily generated by burning fossil fuels. They act as an insulating blanket around Earth, causing global temperatures to rise.
Germany is committed to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by about 65% by 2030, as measured against 1990 levels and has already achieved 48% of that goal. But many experts do not believe the government can meet its promised target.
Even with a strong climate policy, the effects of the greenhouse effect are expected to intensify in Germany over the next few years, as these are a consequence of CO2 emissions from previous years.
The current government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), however, is once again allowing the installation of new oil and gas heating systems.
Greenpeace proposes an ecological tax on billionaires
Martin Kaiser, the Head of International Climate Politics at Greenpeace Germany, told DW, “Many municipalities are already heavily in debt, meaning the special fund alone is insufficient, for example, to quickly eliminate heat-absorbing concrete surfaces, create water-retaining green spaces, or plant shade-providing trees. Such measures require long-term public support and investment and cannot be financed by one-time investments alone.”
Greenpeace has proposed an environmental tax on billionaires as a solution; however, there does not currently appear to be enough support for this within the governing coalition.
Germany’s opposition parties have been quick to criticize the government. The chair of the socialist Left Party, Ines Schwerdtner, said that more needs to be invested in public transport — especially in cities — so that buses and trains can operate safely even during extreme heat.
Green Party leader Felix Banaszak called for providing direct support — without red tape — to particularly vulnerable facilities such as retirement and nursing homes. Banaszak also commented on the government’s failure to issue a statement during the heat wave: “One gets the feeling that Friedrich Merz and his government have agreed to keep quiet on the issue and were simply hoping to avoid having to say anything about the situation until it rains again,” he told reporters.
Climate protection has lost much of its urgency
What’s more, most Germans don’t seem as concerned about climate protection as they once were. In a nationwide survey published in early June by the polling institute infratest-Dimap, only about 10% of respondents said that environmental protection and climate change were the most important or second-most important issues for them. Instead, issues such as the economic downturn and immigration topped the list.
That said, the survey was conducted before Germany experienced its hottest heat wave to date.
This article was translated from German.
Author: Jens Thurau
Here are some “ETs” recorded from around the U.S. the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
Here is More Climate News from Tuesday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)