Climate change: Waldeck-Frankenberg is looking for your ideas for the future!

Climate change: Waldeck-Frankenberg is looking for your ideas for the future!

A lot is happening in the Waldeck-Frankenberg district when it comes to climate adaptation. Management has launched a comprehensive strategy to address the challenges of climate change. District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst has called on his citizens to actively participate and Online survey started, which will remain open until October 15, 2025. Citizens are invited to contribute their ideas and suggestions to enrich the upcoming climate adaptation concept.

The district sees citizen participation as an essential element in the concept development process, emphasizes the district administrator. The survey is anonymous and takes around ten minutes. We ask that you do not provide any personal information in the free text fields. The feedback contained therein will be incorporated directly into the planning of the climate adaptation concept, which will be developed in collaboration with the cities and municipalities by the end of 2026.

Challenges of climate change

In view of the increasing number of extreme weather events such as long dry periods, flash floods and floods, it is essential that adaptation measures are defined. The effects of climate change are already being felt in the region, as has been observed in recent years. The challenge is not just the obvious adaptation, but also long-term planning and resilience to such changes. The district's strategy has therefore set itself the goal of increasing resilience to these climate change impacts while at the same time addressing the individual needs of the 21 municipalities.

Another step in this direction is securing financing. Over a period of two years, a large part of the costs - exactly 80 percent - will be covered by this Federal Environment Ministry promoted. In total, the total costs are 460,000 euros, with the district covering 92,000 euros itself. A third of the sum is earmarked for external service providers to develop specific strategies based on weather data from the last 30 years.

The path to sustainability

The German Climate Adaptation Strategy, which was adopted in December 2024, provides measurable targets for adaptation in Germany that can serve as a framework for the districts. In total, the strategy includes 33 key objectives related to seven clusters, including urban development, water and human health. It also includes creating unsealed areas and improving the resilience of soils and water infrastructure, which could be of great importance for Waldeck-Frankenberg ( Federal Environment Ministry ).

The coming months are crucial for the development of the climate adaptation concept. A kick-off event is already being planned for all participating municipalities in March 2025. Citizens and municipalities are closely involved in order to meet local needs and at the same time achieve the overarching environmental goals.