Yesterday, I asked:
What can we learn from this heatwave that leaves us better prepared for the next one?
Here is one answer:
Most German universities run their summer semester well into late July. Almost as if they want to demonstrate to students, researchers, and staff that critical scholarship knows no season, that the good academic transcends bodily needs, that methodological rigor extends to forcefully denying any physical or mental demands.
Meanwhile, colleagues in most other countries wrap up their teaching in May or June — before heatwaves are most likely to strike.
German campuses grow quieter too, but not by design: Students suffer in stuffy seminar rooms without air conditioning. They cannot sleep at night. They cannot study or focus during the day. Yet they must hold out. The exams that define their professional futures are set for late July or early August — not a day earlier. Heatwave or not.
What would hurt German academia so much about running the winter term from September to December and the summer term from January to June?
Or, a more radical alternative: Governments could invest in university buildings and make them future-proof.
But no. We keep teaching on.
#Hitzewelle #Heatwave #ClimateAdaptation #HigherEducation #GermanUniversities #AcademicLife #EnvironmentalLiteracy
Originally posted on Mastodon, Bluesky, and LinkedIn, June 27, 2026.