Germany's summer in 2026 saw high temperature records broken repeated as the number of heat-related deaths soared. Merz had been silent on the issue until now.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday sought to assuage critics who accuse his government of doing too little against climate change after a brutal summer of heatwaves and drought.
"We have to further curb climate change and at the same time better adapt to the consequences," Merz said at the start of a two-day retreat outside Berlin with members of the cabinet.
Germany had to "draw the long-term lessons from extreme situations such as this summer of heat," he said, adding that the biggest EU economy had suffered "significant damage" over recent months.
A heatwave in late June saw Germany break its all-time temperature record three days in a row, topping 42 degrees, and official data shows that the country has registered a record of around 14,000 heat-related deaths this year.
