Umweltbundesamt
It is, for example, highly probable that heat waves like those that occurred in the summer of 2003 will increasingly become the norm in the future. This can have diverse and profound impacts on the various sectors of agriculture, forestry, health or industry. Furthermore, climate change has an impact on the availability of water resources. Water shortages affect the water and energy industry (due to a lack of cooling water) and agriculture. In order to develop effective adaptation strategies and measures, climate impacts have to be taken into account in a balanced and comprehensive manner. In particular, the climate impacts that were examined in the 2021 climate impact and risk assessment are presented.
In case you are particularly interested in possible adaptation measures for a specific sector, you can access these in the menu regional and sectoral adaptation.
The water balance and water management are affected by climate change in many ways. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation and increasing weather extremes influence the quantity and quality of the available water. In coastal regions, effects such as rising sea levels and the consequences of storm surges are added to this, which can affect the water balance and cause major damage. read more
Heavy rain, flooding, storms, heat and drought affect the navigability of inland waterways and can cause damage to roads, railways, traffic control systems, overhead lines and power poles. Traffic is affected as a result, which can lead to accidents and economic losses. read more
The impacts of climate change pose new challenges for companies. Risks arise in that, for example, the supply of raw materials and intermediate products as well as the transport of goods can be impaired. Sales markets may change or shift. Opportunities can also arise through the development of innovative environmental technologies. read more
Financial and insurance service providers are confronted in various ways with the risks and consequences of climate change. The increase in climate-related damage cases is increasing the demands on risk analysis and risk management. The danger of "stranded assets" is also increasing, i.e. a loss of value of investments due to climate risks. read more
Climate change will increase the demand for cooling energy. At the same time, the energy supply is particularly affected by extreme weather events. These can lead to a shortage of cooling water, disrupt supply chains for fossil fuels and cause damage to the power grid. read more
Civil protection includes measures to protect the population and its livelihoods from disasters and emergencies. Increased extreme weather events lead to a rising number of operations and increase the demands on civil protection organisations. read more
Heavy rain and river floods can cause considerable damage to buildings. Green spaces have an important cooling effect on the urban climate, but at the same time are themselves affected by increasing heat and drought. Urban heat islands will become larger in the future due to increasing urbanisation, which will increase the heat stress for people in urban agglomerations. read more
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
