The Responsibility Debate: Heat Protection Plan for Aschaffenburg District

Who is responsible?

07/11/2023 – 2:19 p.m

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ARCHIVE – July 19, 2022, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin: An outdoor thermometer in an allotment garden shows the temperature of almost 40 degrees. Global warming may increase the risk of infectious diseases in Germany in the future. (to dpa “RKI: Climate change can increase the risk of infectious diseases”) Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

Photo: Jens Buttner

A heated debate about a hot topic: In the Miscellaneous section, the Free Voters presented a motion to adopt a heat protection plan for the Aschaffenburg district. The same application had already been made in 2022, but was rejected by a majority at the time.

The topic was important, it was said at the time, but firstly the district had too few staff for it and secondly it was not responsible. District Administrator Alexander Legler (CSU) confirmed: “I’ll stick with it.” Not much can be done without money and staff. There are enough instructions on how to behave in the heat. In addition, the municipalities are responsible, not the district.

Maili Wagner (Laufach), spokeswoman for the Free Voters, replied that the heat action plan went far beyond what the municipalities could do, such as setting up a heat warning system, preparing for the heat emergency, for example if many heat victims had an attack, or the inclusion of heat-sensitive construction in the urban development plan. Many districts would already take on this topic, such as the district of Würzburg.

When told that the application had already been rejected, Maili Wagner replied that one could also reassess a matter. Thomas Krimm (Free Voters, Goldbach) argued: “Neither a district administrator nor a committee is entitled to sort out applications beforehand.”

Legler replied that land use planning was the responsibility of the municipalities. He also protests that the district is not doing anything in this area. But he must concentrate on his tasks. Andrea Lindholz (CSU, Goldbach) suggested clarifying the issue at the next mayoral meeting.

Christine Scheel (Greens, Hösbach) explained that Würzburg had had an expert report drawn up that discussed short, medium and long-term measures. You could take a look at this to see where cooperation with the city of Aschaffenburg might be possible.

Max Bruder (FDP, Großostheim) found the discussion strange, “only because it’s hot for a few days”. Things are different in the Würzburg district, which has real drought problems. The application would not contain so many things that the district could do something about. “I would speak out against the district taking the money into its own hands,” said Bruder when the AfD parliamentary group knocked in agreement.

Farmer Jutta Herzog (Freie Wahler, Stockstadt) explained that Max Bruder was welcome to look at her harvest from the day before to see that it was not just the Würzburg district that had a drought problem.

Josef Pömmerl

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