Klimalotse - Supporting management of climate change risks and chances (decision support system)
Background and Goals
Objective: Creation of an information and decision support system for management of climate effects, particularly for communities and businesses in Germany.
The background to the project is the increasing urgency of the issues of climate change, climate effects and adaptation. The project addresses the increasing need for advice from various adaptation players and the growing interest in tools and methods for appropriate climate effect management.
The project will focus on development the Climate Pilot, an information and decision support system that will be generally accessible as online guidelines through the KomPass website from the summer of 2010. Using structured questions in five modules, users will be made aware of the issue of adaptation and introduced to systematic analysis of the risks and opportunities of climate change for the relevant organisation.
The methods proposed by the Climate Pilot, e.g. risk and multi-criteria analysis, along with a range of example adaptation measures and supplementary materials support users in identifying their own adaptation measures and in implementing and monitoring them. To provide adequate coverage of users' varying information needs, the tool will offer a fast-track option and a more intensive process. Special areas of content are planned for decision makers in communities and in KMUs.
Content time
toResearch area/region
Country
- Germany
Region of implementation (all German federal states)
- Baden-Württemberg
- Bavaria
- Berlin
- Brandenburg
- Bremen
- Hamburg
- Hesse
- Mecklenburg Western Pomerania
- Lower Saxony
- Northrhine-Westphalia
- Rhineland Palatinate
- Saarland
- Saxony
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Thuringia
Natural spatial classification
- Alp and North Bavarian hills
- Alps
- Erz Mountains, Thuringian Forest and Bavarian Forest
- Low mountain ranges left and right of Rhine
- North-East German lowland
- North-West German lowland
- South-Eeastern basin and hills
- West German lowland bay
- Central low mountain ranges and Harz
Spatial resolution
Küste
Steps in the process of adaptation to climate change
Step 1: Understand and describe climate change
Approach and results
Information from global and various regional climate models will be used.
Parameter (climate signals)
- Heat waves
- Altered rainfall patterns
- Higher average temperatures
- Extreme precipitation (incl. hail, snow)
- Storm
Further Parameters
Warmer and wetter winters, hotter and dryer summers, increasing probability and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heat waves in summer and severe precipitation, particularly in winter and spring, and an increase in storm events
Further times
Up to 2100.
Step 2a: Identify and assess risks - climate effects and impact
Approach and results
All direct (physical) and indirect effects of climate change, e.g. increase reputation risk for companies in high-emission sectors.
Step 2b: Identify and assess risks - Vulnerability, risks and chances
Approach and results
Example list of vulnerable areas like industrial and commercial companies that use cooling water from watercourses. Climate change means that the cooling water has higher temperatures in summer. This can reduce the efficiency of cooling processes, and also places an additional burden on the watercourses.
Urgency and priorization of adaptation needs
Depending on the relevant company
Step 3: Develop and compare measures
Measures and/or strategies
Example list of adaptation measures: Change in cooling processes in production methods from water and air cooling.
Time horizon
- 2071–2100 (far future)
Step 4: Plan and implement measures
Costs of the measures
Depending on company size and selected technology.
In making decisions on larger scale projects with long implementation periods, a quantitative assessment of alternative courses of action is necessary in addition to the qualitative analysis. A quantitative analysis allows for a more accurate evaluation and includes a provision for direct and indirect costs, as well as direct and indirect benefits of adaptation measures (e.g. on the basis of cost-benefit analyses).
Participants
Funding / Financing
German Environment Agency
Project management
UBA: KomPass
Cooperation/Partners
Adelphi Research gGmbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research
Contact
adelphi
Caspar-Theyss-Strasse 14a
D-14193 Berlin
Herr Hasse
Wörlitzer Platz 1
D-06844 Dessau-Roßlau
clemens.hasse @ uba.de
