Establishment of an Indicator Concept for the German Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change (DAS)

Background and Goals

On 17th December 2008, the Federal Cabinet passed the German Adaptation Strategy (DAS) for climate change. This creates a framework for adaptation to the effects of climate change in Germany. The DAS focuses on the contribution of the federal government and thus provides a guide for other players. The strategy lays the foundations for a medium-term process, in which the risks of climate change will successively be assessed in collaboration with the German states and other social groups, the possible need for action specified, the corresponding objectives defined an possible adaptation measures developed and implemented.

The UBA sets out a comprehensive range of adaptation instruments to support the ongoing development and implementation of the DAS. This includes the development of technical proposals for an adaptation indicator system.

The DAS indicator system and indicator-based report on the adaptation strategy will be developed in a multi-stage procedure. UBA/⁠⁠ has taken on the leadership of this process on behalf of the BMU. A consultancy project entitled "Development of an indicator framework for the German Adaptation Strategy" (Duration: December 2008 to end March 2010) structured the development of indicators, presented initial indicators for describing climate impacts and adaptation measures, and proposed a structure for the indicator report. A subsequent R&D project (Duration: June 2010 to July 2011) further consolidated the proposed set of indicators for all DAS sectors and developed initial parts of the indicator report. A further research project (Duration: September 2011 to January 2014) builds upon this initial work. It will continue to further develop the indicators for the DAS, which will lead to the first indicator-based report on adaptation to climate change in Germany, and the development of an organisational concept for routine follow-up reporting.

Steps in the process of adaptation to climate change

Step 1: Understand and describe climate change

Approach and results

No reference to a specific climate scenario

Step 2a: Identify and assess risks - climate effects and impact

Approach and results

Indicators (impact and response indicators) for reporting on climate effects will be developed for all 15 sectors in the German adaptation strategy. Indicators will also be included for the implementation process of the DAS and APA.

Step 5: Watch and evaluate adaptation (monitoring and evaluation)

Approach, objective and results of the monitoring and/or evaluation

Climate change impacts and adaptation activities in Germany will be reported. The basis for this monitoring report on the German Adaptation Strategy (DAS) form 102 indicators, adopted on July 4, 2014 from the Inter-Ministerial Working Group Adaptation ( IMA ) as an indicators system for DAS.

Indicators will be also developed for reporting on adaptation measures. These will cover the following adaptation measures:

1. Measures already taken, known and publicly managed (e.g. forest conversion, or public information measures such as heat warning or pollen information service). These may be measures that were not originally introduced with the aim of adaptation to climate changes or not primarily implemented for this purpose today.

2. Autonomous adaptation measures already taken, that do not require public management to implement (e.g. shifting sowing and harvest dates in agriculture).

The indicators for the DAS must:

have the closest possible link to the issue of climate impact and adaptation and be scientifically accepted,
clearly illustrate both the cause/effect relationships and the relationships with adaptation measures taken,
be feasible, i.e. be calculated based on available data,
combine knowledge from all areas and present it as an overview,
create links to other indicator systems,
allow links to reporting at EU and state level.

Establishment of an Indicator Concept for the German Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change (DAS) | Umweltbundesamt