Lessons learned from recent droughts for disaster risk management in Germany

Abstract

Global climate change has driven up the likelihood of extreme climate and weather events, including the increased frequency and intensity of heat waves and droughts. This is having a profound impact on ecosystems, economy, settlements, and human health, which is gradually being felt in various regions of Germany. The federal state Brandenburg, with its subcontinental climate, has been affected by drought in the past due to low mean annual precipitation and high evapotranspiration, which already leads to low water supply. In the summer of 2022, for example, the shipping industry was affected by low water levels in some rivers in further federal states. To better adapt to extreme weather events and its impacts in the future, it requires, among other things, thorough reviews of past extreme events that consider multi-causal relationships.

The research examines the architecture of disaster risk management (DRM) in Germany with a focus on lessons learned from recent droughts. For the analysis, an Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRM) approach is adopted, which, in addition to the interaction of disaster risk management actors and the temporal dimensions of disaster management, addresses the challenges of resilience to disasters as a whole-of-society process. For this purpose, a qualitative analysis of relevant institutional documents published and used by authorities and organizations related to DRM is conducted. It also compiles scientific publications that provide information on the effectiveness of prevention and preparedness measures. Based on expert interviews, gaps in the current DRM are identified and potential improvements for future drought scenarios are highlighted. By linking the gaps of a whole-of-society approach and lessons learned from past droughts, perspectives are outlined on how DRM and the population can respond to new extremes in terms of drought preparedness, prevention, management, vulnerability, and coping strategies to increase the resilience.

In regard to gradual disasters and increasingly complex social structures that are globally interconnected, national DRM systems, such as in Germany, will be subjected to global scrutiny. The presentation illustrates perspective for a more resilient society with respect to the DRM in Germany with a case study approach. Beyond avoiding any generalization, the case study aims to reflect experiences and lessons that may result useful to other regions and other DRM architectures.