“The climate crisis, but also the climate protection measures that are becoming necessary at h_da, will change the way we teach, learn, research and work - that is unfortunately a fact. We have to find ways at h_da that seem very unusual or unfeasible at first glance. When it gets hotter and hotter in summer, we have to adapt our behavior to the heat. In addition, it is of course up to each and every one of us to decide how we can best protect the climate with our behavior so that we treat our planet more responsibly. With this in mind - Beat the Heat! .”
The Executive Committee
As a result of climate change, it is also getting hotter here in the region and therefore at the h_da. Periods of heat will last longer - days in summer with temperatures above 30°C will become more frequent.
This can severely affect our well-being, health and ability to concentrate and therefore also affects everyday university life in summer.
With the heat information campaign “Beat the Heat”, h_da is therefore planning various activities to ...
... provide information on why increasing heat is a challenge and how this problem is linked to climate change,
... provide knowledge about what can be done at an individual level to cope better with the heat in courses, exams or at work,
... to show what we can do individually to prevent it from getting even hotter,
... to find out what h_da is doing to deal with this challenge in the best possible way.
High temperatures in summer and heat waves lead to health problems and can therefore have a negative impact on the quality of teaching and the quality of employees' work.
The physical consequences of heat can include sweating, dehydration and circulatory problems. These lead to reduced performance. More serious consequences of heat can be cramps, heat exhaustion or even heat stroke and death.
Heat also has an impact on our psyche. It leads to tiredness, exhaustion, concentration problems and increased irritability, along with a lower stress tolerance.
In addition, at high temperatures, more harmful ground-level ozone is produced due to intense sunlight, which puts additional strain on the body. This can lead to difficult breathing or irritation of the mucous membranes, for example.
Heat in combination with periods of drought damages the green spaces at h_da. Meadows burn, trees and shrubs dry out. This loss of vegetation on campus further increases the heat load, as plants have a cooling effect. Irrigation and the use of heat- and drought-tolerant plants may therefore be necessary. Maintaining and expanding green structures is necessary to cool the campus and is also a major challenge.
Technical equipment is sensitive to heat. For example, the performance of batteries decreases and they have a shorter service life if they are exposed to extreme temperatures (cold or heat). (Electrical appliances in summer, VDE consumer protection, 2024)
If the temperatures in laboratories are too high, it may no longer be possible to carry out experiments, as test setups or materials are affected by the high temperatures. This can impair the university's research operations.
Climate change refers to the long-term change in the Earth's climate, in particular the warming caused by human activities. The main cause is the so-called greenhouse effect: greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH4), which are released through the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes, form a kind of “blanket” in the atmosphere. This holds back the heat from the sun and causes the earth to warm up faster than before.
Climate change is causing average global temperatures to rise, leading to more frequent and more intense heatwaves, among other things. In our region, we can expect an increase in summer days, hot days and tropical nights. Summer days are days when it gets warmer than 25°C, hot days when it gets warmer than 30°C and tropical nights when the temperature does not fall below 20°C.
If climate change is not slowed down, more and more extreme weather events will occur, which will further exacerbate the climate crisis.
If immediately effective climate protection measures are not implemented globally, the number of hot days in Darmstadt, for example, will double by 2040 and increase continuously over the next few years (cf. F.1, RCP 8.5). Even if massive climate protection measures are implemented immediately (cf. F.1. RCP 2.6), the number of summer days, hot days and tropical nights in our region will increase, as climate change has already begun and can only be mitigated, but can no longer be averted. (Climate Service Center Germany, Climate Outlook 2021)
There are various ways to protect yourself from the heat. The most effective are structural and technical measures that improve the quality of outdoor and indoor spaces. Window shutters, awnings and trees, for example, have a shading effect, green spaces and plants transpire and thus cool their surroundings and an energy-efficient renovation insulates the building not only from the cold in winter, but also from the heat in summer. However, it is also important to keep climate protection in mind when implementing construction measures, which is why installing air conditioning systems across the board, for example, is not a solution. Air conditioning systems would increase energy consumption, resulting in more emissions that would further contribute to climate change. In addition, air conditioning systems produce waste heat, which would further increase the outside temperature on campus. (Adaptation to climate change, Federal Environment Agency 2025)
The implementation of structural and technical measures to combat heat is a task for h_da, which it is tackling with its climate adaptation concept. However, these measures will take time to implement, so it is all the more important that we adapt our behavior to the changing climate now.
Personal measures
Recommendations for behavior in the heat during exams
Personal measures
Organizational measures for courses
Personal measures
Organizational measures for the workplace
In order to avoid a further increase in heat, we as a university and as individuals must take climate protection measures. The most effective measure for the university to protect the climate is to save energy by adapting usage behavior, energy-efficient refurbishment and modernizing heating systems. For example, A10 is being renovated to make it more energy efficient. We can also do a lot individually:
An initial selection of personal climate protection measures
Note: The contents of this page are suggestions for behavior in hot weather and against heat, not guidelines. It is clear that improvisation will be necessary and implementation will be difficult in some cases. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time, requiring unconventional solutions that can only succeed if we work together. This page does not claim to be exhaustive, so please do not hesitate to let us know if you can think of any other measures.
Climate Service Center Germany, Klimaausblick 2021
Deutscher Wetterdienst, Fakten zum Klimawandel: Was die Wissenschaft heute weiß 2020
Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Klima und Klimawandel 2022
Berufsgenossenschaft für Gesundheitsdienst und Wohlfahrtspflege, Hitzeschutz: Schutz der Beschäftigten vor Belastungen durch sommerliche Hitze, 2025
Umweltbundesamt, Gesundheitsrisiken durch Hitze, 2024
VDE Verbraucherschutz, Elektorgeräte im Sommer 2024
Umweltbundesamt, Anpassung an den Klimawandel 2025
Umweltbundesamt, Der Hitzeknigge, 2021
Univativ, Hitzebewältigung während der Sommerprüfungen, 2023
about the campaign:
Green Office
greenoffice@h-da.de
for work safety & temperature measurement:
Health, Safety and Environment
sicherheit@h-da.de
for climate adaptation:
Sustainability Management
nachhaltigkeitsmanagement@h-da.de
Climate adaptation and climate protection are two different things, but they are inextricably linked.
Climate protection are measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, e.g. CO2. These measures help to slow down or prevent climate change. Climate protection measures include, for example, renovating buildings to make them more energy-efficient, consuming less or driving less.
However, climate change has already begun and some of the consequences can no longer be reversed. Climate adaptation is needed to adapt ourselves and our environment to these consequences. Climate adaptation measures include, for example, more trees or awnings to make the environment cooler or working and lecture times adapted to heatwaves.
However, as infinite adaptation is not possible, climate adaptation is not an alternative to climate protection. Climate protection must always come before climate adaptation.
Sustainability management deals with how the university can pursue climate protection and climate adaptation.