How One German City Fights Climate Extremes

According to reports from Tempo, DW, and ABP Live, a catastrophic storm surge hit the Baltic Sea coast in October 2023, destroying dikes and wiping away 2.68 meters of coastal bluff in Kiel, Germany. The event was more than four times the city’s yearly average erosion over the previous two decades. As human-caused climate change intensifies weather extremes, Kiel officials have responded by establishing a dedicated climate adaptation division in 2025 and adopting an adaptation plan in February 2026 to redesign the port city for unavoidable environmental impacts.

Kiel’s Urban Redesign and Adaptation Plan

Kiel was among the first cities to declare a climate emergency back in 2019. The city’s climate adaptation division, headed by Martina Baum, was established in 2025 to help make the city more resilient to weather extremes. According to Baum, adaptation is not a substitute for cutting fossil fuel emissions. Climate protection remains the first line of defense to limit future warming, even as cities are forced to prepare for the weather extremes already occurring.

To cool the city naturally without over-relying on power-hungry air-conditioning—which can drive up greenhouse gas emissions—Kiel is adding vegetation to building facades. The city is also redesigning local parks to channel cooler air into the urban center. In addition, officials are making it easier for residents to access permits, information, and grants for adaptation projects.

Testing Climate-Resilient Tree Species

Urban forestry plays a major role in Kiel’s adaptation strategy. A decade ago, the city planted five specimens each of 20 different tree species to discover which ones can best withstand heat, drought, and salt spray from the nearby Baltic Sea. Trees provide essential shade, cool streets by roughly 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), and improve air quality.

However, finding the right flora requires patience and careful planning. “There is no one-size-fits-all climate tree; different sites require different tree species,” said Nicole Holz, who works in the department responsible for the city’s green spaces. Petra Holtappel, head of the same department, noted that field research requires patience and that it will take some 20, 30 years to get some real results.

Balancing Daily Life and Water Management

Rising temperatures and extreme rainfall are already altering daily routines in Kiel. Baum pointed out that excessive heat might prevent youngsters from holding soccer matches mid-afternoon, for instance. To manage excess stormwater from heavy downpours, the city is dredging the park’s pond to store stormwater during heavy rainfall and exploring other ideas.

One potential strategy involves multi-functional layouts, meaning future athletic fields could be constructed at a slightly lower elevation than adjacent zones. Baum explained that heavy downpours could be channeled into these spaces, permitting the water to slowly soak into the soil or evaporate. While this approach helps manage floods, Baum noted that the downside is a pitch might be unusable for up to 60 days a year, requiring residents to accept that.

Public Engagement and Funding Pressures

Annafried Stürmer’s responsibilities include helping the community grasp these compromises and the significance of the situation. To reach individuals who might otherwise stay disconnected from environmental matters, Stürmer plans learning sessions, guides public tours alongside researchers, and visits local community gatherings. Stürmer showcased a map illustrating urban flood vulnerabilities during Kiel Week, which is recognized as the world’s largest annual sailing festival.

“It’s easier to talk about the need for a better-developed sewer system to handle heavy rainfall, or about planting different types of trees and vegetation, than it is to talk about reducing CO2 emissions,” Stürmer told DW. Recent record heat waves have made the adaptation conservation more urgent too, as residents increasingly recognize the need to protect children, the elderly, pregnant women, and outdoor workers.

Despite growing public awareness, funding remains a persistent challenge in cash-strapped Kiel. Because climate action is still seen as optional, it can quickly come under pressure when budgets tighten. Baum rejects this framing, emphasizing that investing in climate adaptation and climate mitigation will simply pay off.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is multi-use design in urban climate planning?

Multi-use design means that in future, a soccer pitch could be built slightly lower than the surrounding area, allowing water to be directed there during periods of heavy rain and to gradually infiltrate into the ground or evaporate.

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