Climate change in focus: Germany's largest extreme weather congress in Hamburg!

Climate change in focus: Germany's largest extreme weather congress in Hamburg!

From September 24th to 26th, 2025 will take place at the HafenCity University The 15th Extreme Weather Congress and the second German Climate Management Conference took place in Hamburg. This event has established itself as the largest of its kind in Germany and brings together experts from the fields of weather and climate research, urban planning, climate management, media and medicine.

A central goal of the ExtremeWeatherCongress is to take stock of the climate system and analyze extreme weather risks that are increasingly occurring in Germany due to climate change. Increasing weather extremes such as heavy rain, floods, storms, drought and heat are discussed, which cause significant damage to infrastructure, living space and agricultural goods Federal Ministry of Economics reported.

Educational program and workshops

A special highlight of the congress is the educational program “Wetter.Wasser.Waterkant.”, which involves around 10,000 students. The German Climate Management Conference also offers around 40 workshops on climate protection and climate adaptation measures. These workshops are intended to develop various strategies to effectively meet the challenges of climate change.

The need for adaptation measures is becoming increasingly important. According to the research report prepared by GWS/Prognos on behalf of the BMWK, the cumulative costs of extreme weather events in Germany will have risen to an estimated 280 to 900 billion euros by 2050. Adaptation measures can still mitigate the effects, but require better data.

Economic impact and climate protection investments

The report also addresses the economic dimension of climate change. Climate protection investments in the reference scenario, which is based on the policy status of 2020, are estimated at over 80 billion euros per year between 2026 and 2035. An additional climate protection scenario could increase investments by a further 70 billion euros annually by 2035. In the long term, the annual investment requirement will decrease, while at the same time savings in energy expenditure of 15 to 20 billion euros per year can be expected by 2040 in the climate protection scenario.

Particularly noteworthy are the positive effects of climate protection on the gross domestic product (GDP). An increase of 2.3% is expected by 2030, while by 2045 the increase could be 0.8% compared to the reference scenario. Technological progress and greater energy efficiency are crucial for positive economic development. Discussions at the Congress will address these aspects and emphasize the importance of clear policy signals on decarbonization, which are necessary to mobilize investments.

In conclusion, it is clear that the combination of expertise, policy measures and adaptation strategies is essential to address the challenges of climate change. The ExtremeWeatherCongress and the German Climate Management Conference offer a valuable platform for the exchange of ideas and solutions between different specialist areas.