Germany Heats Up

Germany can expect heavy storms and intense heat waves that cause numerous deaths, said Wolfgang Kusch, head of Germany's state-run meteorology service DWD, announcing the results of the meteorologists' observations.

"Climate change has become a fact of life," he told a news conference.

Germany's annual median temperature increased by 0.9 degrees Celsius to 8.2 C (46 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1901 and could rise another 2 to 5 degrees by 2100, according to the DWD. Germany experienced the warmest decade of the 20th century from 1990 to 1999 as well as seeing a 9-percent rise in precipitation.

Germany should be better prepared for global warming, Kusch said, stressing that farmers in particular would be forced to deal with the effects. The changing climate would also unleash greater risks for people's health, such as infectious diseases and skin cancer.

Heat islands

"We have to do all we can to ensure that the earth does not become uninhabitable," Kusch said.

As a result of the higher temperatures, Germany would be subject to more rain and less snow in winter, causing ski resorts in the country's south to close down, as tourism flourishes on the North and Baltic Seas.

Cities would also see their temperatures rise beyond the 2 degree difference the DWD has already observed between urban areas and the surrounding countryside.

"German cities will increasingly become 'heat islands' and there will be a growing need for fresh air corridors into cities," he said. "Architects must come up with new plans, such as creating more shade and using heat-resistance materials."