Hitzeaktionspläne in Deutschland und Europa

Heat action plans in Germany and the Europe: Heat action plans have been implemented in European countries since 2004 in response to the high death rates in the summer of 2003. They were and are primarily intervention plans for acute heatwaves. In 2008, WHO Europe systematised the success factors of such plans in eight core elements of a recommendation for action, which was adapted for Germany in 2017. For some years now, local authorities, federal states and the federal government in Germany have also been committed to systematic health protection during heatwaves. The first heat action plans have been published, but they still show some weaknesses in comparison with other European countries. This article discusses possible causes for existing incongruities and outlines approaches for optimisation based on European models.