Working landscapes under climate change need to be green, moist, and cool—A case study of Germany

Abstract Urban heat has captured public attention, yet broader ‘heat landscapes’ remain less widely recognized, and the extent to which land surface temperature (LST) reflects ecosystem working capacity is less emphasized at national scales. We mapped thermal hotspots and functional landscapes across Germany using Landsat LST from hot days, end‐of‐summer vegetation greenness and precipitation. This was based on data from the years 2018 to 2024, which included the five warmest and driest summers in Germany since the beginning of meteorological records. We analysed drivers of thermal performance with correlation analyses and mixed‐effects models. We devised a green–moist–cool index (GMCI) that reflects the triad of ecosystem functionality. The results provide evidence that thermal regulation, vegetation cover, and moisture availability are tightly coupled, supporting ‘green–moist–cool’ as a fundamental ecological triad sustaining working landscapes. Forests were consistently the coolest environments (LST from hot days: ~27–28°C). The hottest land type was industrial sites (~34–35°C). Land cover explains ~17% of LST variance, with forests mainly effective at cooling, whereas built‐up areas and agriculture contribute to elevated LST. Vegetation greenness was the strongest predictor of rainfall (+297 mm per unit increase). LST has a strong negative effect (−4.05 mm per°C). Practical implications . Policy discourse on urban heat islands should shift to broader landscape systems. Degraded rural landscapes multiply climate risks for both ecosystems and human populations. Reforestation, regreening, and wetland restoration increase vegetation cover, which enhances energy capture (via photosynthesis), moisture, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling. They also improve landscape connectivity and thermal buffering, stabilizing microclimates and increasing the system's ability to dissipate energy gradients—key aspects of thermodynamic work capacity. We recommend using a green–moist–cool index to communicate and monitor ecosystem functionality. This enables the quantification of progress in sustainable land development and the identification of priority areas for restoration and natural climate protection.