üIn the future, floods in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia will inevitably occur across Germany in mid-July.Warning about this German Weather Service (DWD) The temperature of the earth’s atmosphere has risen due to climate change. “It’s not a large area of continuous rain, but more frequent small-scale heavy rains. In addition, short-term extreme rainstorms will be more intense, especially in densely populated areas,” DWD climate and environmental advice chief Tobias Fuchs told Union News on Thursday The press conference said “adapt to climate change”.
The Federal Office of Civil Defense and Disaster Relief, the Federal Institute of Architecture, Urban and Space Research Institute, the Technical Relief Organization and the German Meteorological Agency’s Association submitted a research report “Extreme Weather Event Classification to Prevent Heavy Rains for Civil Use. Drafted in Offenbach Floods this summer Protection and urban development”.
Every community may experience flood scenarios
To this end, DWD analyzed precipitation data from 2001 to 2020, and simulated future scenarios of precipitation and flood risk in Germany. These are “thought-provoking,” Fuchs said. In the near future, every city in Germany may experience flood scenarios similar to those in southern and western Germany.
This has a “huge impact” on civil defense, disaster risk management, and urban and spatial planning. According to the DWD catalog, which records rainfall in Germany, the number of heavy rain events has increased in recent years. In addition, rainfall will reach record levels in 2021.This is also a consequence climate change. At higher temperatures, the intensity of the water cycle increases, and the amount and duration of precipitation also increase. As the climate forecasts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assume that temperatures in Central Europe will rise, flooding is “probable”. The number of heavy rain days in Germany also increased slightly.
This is not always a problem. Fuchs said that if heavy rain occurs in a sparsely populated area, forest or field, it can be tolerated as long as the rain is absorbed from the ground. Heavy rain is particularly problematic in areas where the structure is sealed. This is one of the reasons why the Federal Institute of Architecture, Urban and Space Research and its Director of Space and Urban Development, Peter Jakubowski, suggested “unblocking” urban areas: “Cities must be transformed into compact, climate-friendly and water-sensitive.”
Trees, green spaces and open spaces are the most important elements for flood control urban development, as they absorb water and create a cool urban climate. Private houses and owners should also make more regulations in this regard.
