Shortly after the sober conclusion of the world climate conference, climate researcher Prof. Heiko Paeth informed on the challenges of climate change for Lower Franconia at the invitation of “Margetshöchheimer Mitte – the list for environment and nature” in the Margarethenhalle fully busy. He clarified that, given the failure of the policy, the goal of 1.5 degrees cannot be achieved. The following information is taken from a press release from the Margetshöchheimer Mitte list.
Some declarations of intent were agreed in Sharm El-Sheikh to support states particularly affected by climate change, but no measures were agreed against the imminent climate catastrophe itself, according to Paeth. In short, they have just renewed the mission statement of seven years ago in Paris.
If we continue down this path and get virtually no serious changes in CO2 emissions, the earth’s temperature will not rise by 1.5 degrees by 2100, but by more than five degrees Celsius, he explained. In Germany and especially in Lower Franconia, we are already heading towards increasingly warmer days and tropical nights. Drought and heat have not only made things difficult for agriculture and forestry, but have also increased mortality, particularly among the elderly, but also among young children.
infiltration instead of sealing
A serious problem is, on the one hand, the catastrophic rainfall and, on the other hand, the extreme drought, especially in southern Germany, due to the constantly decreasing rainfall during the growing season. Meanwhile, groundwater already lacks the amount of rainfall for an entire year, Paeth said. It is not a solution to the problem that drinking water is pumped from the Danube region to Northern Bavaria and the Danube water is fed into the Main. Instead of “seal” the motto should be “filter away”.
In his research, Prof. Paeth also looked intensively at the urban climate of Würzburg, which can be up to five degrees Celsius hotter than the surrounding area. Measurements at various typical locations in the city, near the Main, in the densely built-up old town, at the height of the Keesburg, but also in the surrounding area show: In densely built-up areas there are significantly more heat waves, so it has more than 30 degrees Celsius on several days, and there are also more tropical nights with over 20 degrees, in the city center even over 25 degrees Celsius. This puts a strain on human health, especially for older people.
Not only politicians from federal states and the federal government are called, but also municipalities, if more and more residential and commercial areas and sealed off areas are created. But we too should change all our consumption and leisure habits in the long run. Our CO2 footprint is disproportionately high, not least due to the excessive consumption of meat and the resulting intensive animal husbandry.
