Why is Germany flooded?

By Gustavo Copelmayer

“Following the shocking news, Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for a battle against climate change.”

“Only by decisively tackling climate change will we be able to keep extreme weather conditions like the ones we are experiencing now under control,” explained German President Frank Walter Steinmeier. _{Source: BBC.com}

With these two quotes I want to begin my analysis about what is happening in environmental and social matters in Germany and Belgium, after the brutal force of flood waters. Entire villages were devastated by floods, house and building collapsed, hospital evictions, hundreds of dead people and many others missing, reports ARD public television.

Meanwhile, rescue teams kept trying to reach affected residents in boats. For his part, the regional governor has assured that the Ahrweiler district is going through “the greatest catastrophe since World War II.”

Why is this environmental tragedy happening?

The answer has been given by the highest authorities of these developed countries: Climate change. Despite the fact that Germany has already reduced its emissions by 40% compared to 1990 and aspires, as agreed at the community level, to cut them to 55% by 2030, it is in the midst of this great tragedy. The ultimate goal has been to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

Scientists, for their part, warn that one should not play an advanced position on the subject. “There is no doubt that climate change is worsening extreme situations like this one,” says Sara Vicca, a professor at the University of Antwerp. “It precisely causes a change in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme meteorological phenomena such as heat waves, droughts and abundant rainfall such as these days,” she adds.

The hypothesis is that the Earth is warming faster in the Arctic than in the tropics, currents are weakening, resulting in runaway and highly unstable microclimates. The warmer the air, the more moisture it contains (7% more moisture for each degree of warming). In this way, global warming means that on average there is more water in the atmosphere and, therefore, more precipitation can fall. Without global warming, it probably would have rained less in the affected area. Finally, we can affirm that scientifically there is a very clear link between this crisis in Germany and global climate warming. These phenomena are becoming more common. And if the planet continues along this line, they will continue to increase.

_{Image provided by the authorities. Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Germany}