The building sector in Germany is a long way from achieving the decarbonisation target of climate neutrality by 2045. While the Heat Planning Act and the Building Energy Act have created an important legal framework for a greenhouse gas-neutral heat supply, no comparable consideration has been given to the provision of cooling. In view of the advancing climate change, the importance of cooling is likely to increase significantly in the future: This applies both in the context of avoiding greenhouse gas emissions and dealing with rising temperatures, particularly in urban centres. District heating networks powered by renewable energies are a building block of the heating transition. Their expansion can help to supply buildings and neighbourhoods with heat from a central source, replacing existing individual heating systems. Similarly, district cooling networks with centralised cooling systems can cool buildings at high temperatures. The integration of district cooling and district heating networks can help to utilise existing synergy potential, such as the use of waste heat for cooling. In the public debate, it is primarily municipal heating planning that is the subject of discussion, but not comparable cooling planning. However, there are already approaches in Germany to integrate district cooling and district heating networks, for example in order to be able to adequately temper buildings in summer and winter. Setting the political course in good time can help to reduce investment requirements for climate adaptation in the medium term and enable efficient energy utilisation.