- Aug 13
RKI estimates 12,500 heat-related deaths in Germany through August 2, surpassing any full previous year
The Robert Koch-Institut estimates 12,500 heat-related deaths in Germany between April 6 and August 2, 2026, with 9,600 occurring in a single June week when temperatures exceeded 40°C.
- Jul 29
Germany's cabinet to approve energy reform: Reiche pushes grid synchronization and cost cuts
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche's plan to tie renewable expansion to grid capacity and slash redispatch costs goes to cabinet today, with the EU's state aid approval for the current system expiring at year's end.
- Jul 18
Germany's Reiche waters down renewable subsidy cuts: small solar gets transition payments, grid compensation softened
Economy Minister Katherina Reiche revised draft energy laws on Friday evening, introducing a three-year transition payment for small rooftop solar and scaling back planned compensation cuts for wind farms in grid-constrained areas.
- Jul 6
Three German states launch new conservation project along the former Iron Curtain border
The 'Grünes Band Dreiländereck' project aims to preserve the unique biodiversity of the former inner-German border strip, with Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider attending the launch in Mödlareuth.
- Jun 27
Nursing home residents evacuated in North Rhine-Westphalia as indoor temperatures reach 35°C during Germany heatwave
Firefighters rescue elderly residents in Dormagen and Krefeld after indoor temperatures reach 35°C and 50°C respectively, with the German Weather Service warning of up to 41°C on Saturday.
- Jun 26
Bundestag passes Infrastructure Future Act, prioritising motorways and rail over environmental concerns
Germany's lower house approved a law giving road, rail, waterway and airport projects 'overriding public interest' status to cut planning times from years to months, drawing sharp criticism from environmental groups and opposition parties.
- Jun 15
Four years after Oder disaster, fish stocks rebound but mussels languish, leaving river vulnerable
Four years after one of Europe’s worst river die-offs, fish have returned to the German-Polish border river, but critical freshwater mussels have barely recovered, leaving the ecosystem fragile and at risk of another toxic algal bloom.
- Jun 10
Merz says patience with SPD 'at an end' over stalled infrastructure law, coalition scrambles to contain fallout
Chancellor Friedrich Merz accused the SPD of blocking a law to fast-track major construction projects, telling a closed-door Union faction meeting his patience with the Social Democrats was 'at an end.' Coalition leaders moved quickly to limit the damage.
