Adaptation to health impacts of climate change. Investigation of a heat warning system in a case study from Lower Saxony

Background. The effectiveness of heat wave warning systems is so far rather unclear. Taking the heat warning system of Lower Saxony as an example, an investigation was performed to determine if the available information reaches the relevant people and if, as a consequence, it leads to changes in their behaviour. Method. Nursing homes (n=213) were interviewed with standardised questionnaires, and additional interviews of elderly persons (n=52) who live on their own were conducted. Results. The majority of the interviewed homes reported that they take note of heat warnings. It seems that less than half of the interviewed homes use the information of heat warning systems to initiate necessary actions and measures. Heat warnings do not - in most cases - reach elderly persons who live on their own and are especially affected by climate changes like extreme heat. Consequences. Even if heat warnings could initiate measures necessary with respect to extreme heat, the information of heat wave warning systems could only be regarded as additional information. There is need for a fast and secure distribution of information generated by heat warning systems as well as for a standardised catalogue of necessary measures. In particular, the integration of elderly people who live on their own has to be taken into consideration.