Every heat-related death is a victim of social cold. This also applies to cold stress.

Climate change often seems very far away, yet we are also seeing more and more effects in Germany, not only in the environment, but also in various areas of society. If you look closely.

Prof. Behrens takes a closer look and has been noting for some time that older people are severely affected by climate change, and that they are affected very unequally in social terms. People over the age of 75 are particularly vulnerable to both heat and cold stress. There are effective long-term regional design measures and effective short-term neighbourhood design measures.

Prof. Behrens worked as a gerontologist and founding spokesperson of the "Interdisciplinary Centre of the University of Halle: Biology-Medical Society", which comprises six faculties. As Director, he founded the first Institute of Health, Midwifery, Therapy and Nursing Science at a German-speaking public faculty of medicine in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It became the first German Centre for Evidence-based Nursing. He knows what he is talking about when he says: "Every heat-related death is a victim of social cold" - and the same applies to cold stress.

Do you already have a question for Prof. Behrens? Then send it to us in advance (to Marc.Schreiber(at)b-tu.de) and come along!!!