Nina von Kalckreuth
The past summers have been the warmest since records began. Many people were happy about it and enjoyed the “summer feeling” that is otherwise only available on vacation. In the meantime, however, the continuing good weather has a bitter aftertaste - especially for nature.
Yes, climate change seems to have become clearly felt in Germany in recent years. Starting with hot, dry summers to storms like "Sabine" - nature has to fight at the moment. Terrifying videos are circulating in which the current state of agriculture in Germany is crystal clear: farmers show the soil in their fields, in which the surface (if at all) is moistened by a few centimeters. In the meters below, however, there is only dust-dry earth. This damages the harvest and leads, among other things, to more expensive prices of regional vegetables and fruits.
But above all the otherwise robust forests are affected by the effects. After the second drought summer in a row in 2019, spokeswoman for the AGDW (The Forest Owners) warns: "It is a catastrophe of the century for the forests in Germany" (Zeit Online, 2019).
Storm "Sabine" also caused great damage in many forests. The main problem is that forest owners have to remove the storm damage as quickly as possible, otherwise the woods are ideal breeding space, such as for the bark beetle. As a result, entire tree populations die in some places. Bark beetles have always been a problem, even without drought, but the heat wave is a shock to the forests. It is also discussed that fungal attack on trees and lower air quality will have a serious impact on humans.
Persistent drought in Germany: drought damages fields and forest
The sunny spring weather of the past few weeks has helped many deal with the Corona crisis in some way. In contrast, it provides farmers with…
Which: Daily News Youtube
According to the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (StMELF), the new forestry support program to build climate-proof and species-rich forests in Bavaria started in February 2020. There is also hope for more rain in summer 2020.
Nature adapts and recovers on its own - it has proven that in the past. However, the question arises as to whether we humans can continue to live our lives as we have known so far through climate change.
GALLERY: Geran de Klerk on Unsplash
CONTRIBUTION TO OPTION GERMANY
