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  • As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe across Europe, their consequences reach far beyond physical destruction and economic losses. Drawing on field research in Germany’s Ahr Valley almost five years after the devastating 2021 floods, this paper examines how disasters can erode political trust, amplify misinformation and disinformation, expose inequalities and deepen social divisions. It argues that extreme weather events can become intensifying factors of social and political conflict, making social cohesion and democratic resilience an increasingly important dimension of Europe’s climate adaptation and disaster preparedness. As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe across Europe, their consequences reach far beyond physical destruction and economic losses. Drawing on field research in Germany’s Ahr Valley almost five years after the devastating 2021 floods, this paper examines how disasters can erode political trust, amplify misinformation and disinformation, expose inequalities and deepen social divisions. It argues that extreme weather events can become intensifying factors of social and political conflict, making social cohesion and democratic resilience an increasingly important dimension of Europe’s climate adaptation and disaster preparedness.