BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the need to "speed up" the fight against climate change, as the death toll from devastating floods in Germany reached 177 on Thursday.
Merkel, who is retiring after September elections, said that Germany and other countries had "not done enough" to meet the goal set out in the Paris climate accord of capping global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius.
"We shouldn't pretend that we haven't done anything, but it's true that not enough has been done to reach the aim of staying well under two degrees and as close to 1.5 degrees as possible," Merkel told reporters.
"That is not just true of Germany, but of many countries across the world, which is why we need to increase the tempo."
Merkel had already called for faster climate action last Sunday as she visited flood victims in Rhineland-Palatinate state.
One of the regions worst hit by last week's devastating floods, Rhineland-Palatinate said Thursday that its death toll had reached 128, taking the total count to 177 in Germany and 209 across Europe.
Merkel's cabinet approved a huge emergency aid package Wednesday for flood-stricken regions, unlocking some €400 million in immediate relief.
"We have also made clear that this sum will be increased if it proves not to be enough," Merkel said on Thursday.
She added that society faced a "profound transformation" as European governments looked to reach carbon neutrality in the coming decades.
Merkel, who will leave office after 16 years following the September 26 poll, defended her record on the environment.
She pointed to new emissions reductions targets agreed by her government earlier this year, which mean Germany now aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2045, five years earlier than the previous target.
The move came after Germany's highest court demanded the government revise its targets, which it said were not ambitious enough.
Meanwhile, around a week after massive floods hit western Germany, residents could face further heavy rain in the worst-hit regions this weekend.
The flood disaster claimed more than 170 lives, while more than 150 people are still missing. Showery rain and thunderstorms are expected in Rhineland-Palatinate and also in Saarland, with thunderstorms also possible in neighbouring North Rhine Westphalia at the weekend.
On Thursday, the national weather service DWD spoke of the disaster as a "once-in-a-century event." According to the data, more and the most intense rain in Germany usually occurs between May and September. "It can therefore be assumed that further events will occur in 2021," the DWD said.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) asked the population for a joint effort to cope with the disaster.
"We will need to take a long breath to repair all this damage," Merkel said in Berlin on Thursday. The federal government has made an amount of €200 million available for emergency aid, with more money coming from the states.
In the coming days and weeks, she said, discussions would be held with the federal states' premiers on how to organize a joint reconstruction fund.
The head of Germany's national disaster management agency has admitted problems with its warning systems after the devastating floods. - Agencies
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
