DW Berlin Briefing - Inside German politics
Aug 21, 2026 · 37 min · 9 segments
Germany is heating and drying up faster than ever. Yet climate change is not high on the agenda of many politicians. Together with sustainability researcher Maja Göpel and SPD climate spokesperson…
Maja GöpelGuest
Jakob BlankenburgGuest
Max HofmannHost
You've probably heard it or you've seen it, or maybe if you're close enough, you might have even seen it.
Wildfires, severe drought, extreme temperatures, it's all on the menu in the summer of 2026, and yet it doesn't seem to be on the top of the agenda of many politicians, especially the topic of climate change.
So, uh, is this claim true? Germany's overheating, but nobody really cares, at least not enough? If you stick with us today, in today's Berlin Briefing episode, you will learn why politicians are shying away from the topic, what the cost will be for Germany if there is no political action or not enough political action, and what should and could actually be done about the situation.
She does many things, but most important for our discussion today is that she's the professor for sustainability transformations at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg.
So let's talk a bit about why politicians in Germany seem to be shying away from the topic a little bit.
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You've probably heard it or you've seen it, or maybe if you're close enough, you might have even seen it.
Wildfires, severe drought, extreme temperatures, it's all on the menu in the summer of 2026, and yet it doesn't seem to be on the top of the agenda of many politicians, especially the topic of climate change.
So, uh, is this claim true? Germany's overheating, but nobody really cares, at least not enough? If you stick with us today, in today's Berlin Briefing episode, you will learn why politicians are shying away from the topic, what the cost will be for Germany if there is no political action or not enough political action, and what should and could actually be done about the situation.
She does many things, but most important for our discussion today is that she's the professor for sustainability transformations at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg.
So let's talk a bit about why politicians in Germany seem to be shying away from the topic a little bit.