KomPass Projects

Changes in social and environmental conditions (guidelines) for adaptation policy and adaptive capacity in Germany

Project duration: 2011-2014, FKZ 3711 41 102
This project aims at a better understanding of the adaptive capacity of Germany and develops some ideas of a climate resilient society. In line with transformation paths towards a low greenhouse gas society, the project intended to design future scenarios and ways leading to a society that is adapted to climate change. In the project, approaches and criteria for the evaluation of a climate resilient society were developed and described exemplarily for the construction and housing sector. On this basis, recommendations for the further development of the German climate adaptation policy were provided showing how the federal policy can strengthen the adaptive capacity and support the way to a climate resilient society.

GoApply - Multidimensional Governance of Climate Change Adaption in Policy Making and Practice

Project duration: 2016-2019
GoApply will contribute to the implementation of strategies and actions plans on climate change adaptation in Alpine countries by supporting vertical coordination across levels, fostering horizontal integration across sectors and strengthening capacities of public and non-state actors for multilevel and transnational governance of climate adaptation. KomPass is leading the work package “Stakeholder involvement on local and regional level” that will identify, select and co-design innovative stakeholder interaction formats for application on the local and regional level in two pilot regions. More information to the project you find here.

Integrated risk assessment – decision-making aids for climate change adaptation

Project duration: 2011-2014, FKZ 3710 41 139

The aim of the project was to assess and further develop criteria, methods and tools for integrated risk and vulnerability assessment to provide decision support on adaptation to climate change. This approach has been tested first on the energy-water-biomass nexus ((s. FKZ 370941123, Methode einer integrierten und erweiterten Vulnerabilitätsbewertung). In this follow-up project the methodological approach was transferred to two different subsystems of society: foreign trade and social cohesion/social inequality. Afterwards, a common analysis was performed across all three modules based on a qualitative synthesis model. Overall, the study shows how diverse risks can be mutually reinforcing.

Germany’s vulnerability to climate change

Project duration: 2012-2015

A cross-sectoral and consistent vulnerability assessment was compiled for Germany for the further development of the German Adaptation Strategy and the Progress Report 2015 so as to assess potential future climate impacts and identify adaptation needs. Thus, the project provided important foundations for the adaptation planning at the federal level for all concerned ministries. Therefore, a Vulnerability Network was established at the level of higher federal authorities, supported by a scientific consortium. The report names sectoral as well as cross-sectoral and spatial hot spots of climate change in Germany. Also the newly developed methodology is documented.

Climate resilient regions

Project duration: 2012 - 2016, FKZ 3712 48 101
The project examines the vulnerability of (critical) infrastructures in the context of climate change and develops approaches to create climate resilient infrastructures. This includes the consideration of social, organisational and institutional impacts that result from the adaptation of existing and alternative infrastructures. On this basis, policy recommendations for the creation of climate resilient infrastructures will be derived. They are addressed to the federal level and other adaptation stakeholders, such as municipalities. Furthermore, the project analyses the proliferation and prevalence of “good examples” of climate change adaptation in society. It shall also provide the federal government with recommendations how to support the proliferation and embeddedness of excellent examples of climate change adaptation. In addition, it will analyse the consideration of the social dimension in climate adaptation activities. Specific recommendations for action from the perspective of the federal government shall be derived in order to promote the private provision of particularly affected social groups or milieus.

Climate resilient and sustainable infrastructures

Project duration: 2014-2017, FKZ 3714 48 101 0

Climate resilience of infrastructures is an important topic for the German Adaptation Strategy because of the high vulnerability of infrastructures to climatic extreme events, their central functions for the supply of economy and society as well as their long planning periods and life times. The project shall investigate how infrastructures are connected today and which weak spots exists. It shall also develop scenarios for future infrastructures considering climate, societal and technological change as well as a vision of future climate resilient and sustainable infrastructures.

Cooperation network of state authorities on climate change adaptation

Project duration: 2015-2018, FKZ 3715 48 1030
The research and development project „Cooperation network of state authorities on climate change adaptation“ aims to support the UBA in facilitating the cooperation of state authorities. It builds on the comprehensive vulnerability analysis of 2015 by strategically addressing selected deficits and knowledge gaps in the field of climate change adaptation. Through these means, state authorities can include their own themes and agendas in the discussion. In this framework, a research consortium led by adelphi is carrying out comprehensive research. This includes assessments of the economic implication of damages from climate change effects and the related adaptation measures, as well as the development of an integrated evaluation framework for the strategic selection of adaptation instruments. Based on this work, the consortium will draft a proposal for a suitable mix of policy instruments for the effective implementation of the German climate change adaptation strategy.

ImpactChain: Impacts of global climate change for Germany

Project duration: 2016-2020, FKZ 3716 48 1020
The Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC shows that climate change will intensify global risks, such as poverty, pollution and species extinction and therefore also endanger economic development. According to the IPCC, increasing climate change will jeopardize the development opportunities of many countries and exacerbate social inequalities.
Due to increasingly intensive international trade between the world regions, climate change impacts abroad will also gain in importance for the national economy. Germany is heavily dependent on international exchanges, but these so called indirect consequences of global climate change for Germany have so far scarcely been systematically analyzed. The national process of the German Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (DAS) shows a gap in this respect.
The intention of this project is to fill this gap. The project aims at identifying, systematizing and evaluating the central international impact chains with regard to their relevance for Germany. It mainly focuses on the indirect effects of climate change on foreign trade in central economic areas in Germany and on the fields of action of the DAS. Furthermore possible options for action are compiled and advices for policy makers will be prepared.

Dialogues about climate adaptation

Project duration: 2011-2014, FKZ 3711 41 105
In the context of climate change adaptation, awareness, information and the promotion of exchanges and networking between different stakeholders from economy, society, politics, administration, academia and NGOs play an important role. On the one hand, the topic-specific stakeholder dialogues and conferences provided stakeholders who are responsible for the implementation of adaptation measures with action-relevant knowledge. On the other hand, the project promoted the further development of the German Adaptation Strategy through the collection of experience gained at the federal level and an analysis of various dialogue processes.

“Good practice” in climate change adaptation in Germany

Project duration: 2011-2014, FKZ 3711 41 104
In order to prepare for the impacts of climate change, effective adaptation measures are of crucial importance. However, often it is not clear, which measures are the most appropriate. Therefore, criteria for “good practice” were developed. These are meant to support the different stakeholders, especially local and regional administrations, associations and small businesses in the development of sustainable adaptation measures. The consistent and compact set of criteria for good practice encompasses the following criteria: effectiveness, robustness, sustainability, financial feasibility, positive side effects and flexibility. The methodological base, i.e. how these criteria were determined, is described in the final report  of the project.
An online data base, the so-called Tatenbank, has already been set up on the website of KomPass. It provides a collection of successfully implemented adaptation examples.

Economics of climate change - economic risks and opportunities for the public and private sector

Project duration: 2011-2013, FKZ 3710 41 137
This study has the overall objective to make proposals for action in the implementation of the National Adaptation Strategy of the German federal government addressing finance and incentive structures. On that account, the current state of research on the economics of climate change and the adaptation to it is assessed, an overview on specific policy measures is given, and possible evaluation criteria of these instruments are created. By means of a illustrative multi-criterion analysis, specific instruments are evaluated. Furthermore, the study discusses how multi-criterion analysis could be applied to evaluate policies. Simultaneously, a refinement of economic modeling tools is presented in order to give a more sound foundation of the crucial criterion of cost efficiency, without neglecting the limitations of this method. Based on these findings, recommendations for the adjustment of existing policy instruments are derived and practical suggestions for the design of new instruments are identified. These recommendations explicitly consider social, economic and individual barriers, which frequently hamper the implementation of those measures. See the final report here. Suggestions for national adaptation measures are further developed in the Project “Policy Mix” (3712 48 102)

Suggestion for a Policy Mix for an Updated Adaptation Action Plan

Project duration: 2012-2015, FKZ 3712 48 102
The goal of the project was to develop empirically-based recommendations for Germany’s updated Adaptation Action Plan (APA II). To achieve this aim, the following working steps were used:

• The compilation of adaptation measures;
• The identification of relevant policy instruments, especially those at the Federal level, used to implement the aforementioned adaptation measures;
• The development of a multi-criteria evaluation and prioritisation tool for assessing recommendations in regards to adaptation measures and instruments, this work was focussed on a newly developed method tailored to as-sessing the administrative costs for implementing policy instruments for adaptation to climate change.

An Excel tool called “PrioSet” was developed by the project in order to apply the multi-criteria evaluation method to recommendations for adaptation measures and instruments arising from the project. As a result, the project was able to identify and propose a core set of high-priority adaptation measures and accompanying policy instruments. The results are published in the final project report.

Suggestion for a policy mix for the Adaptation Action Plan to climate change II

Project duration: 2012-2015, FKZ 3712 48 102
The measures for adaptation to climate change intended by the federal government are mentioned in a central document, the “Adaptation Action Plan”. The project advised the realignment of the Action Plan as part of the progress report on the German Adaptation Strategy 2015 scientifically. For that purpose, adaptation measures required in Germany were researched and evaluated in view of their nationwide importance. Then, suitable instruments will be identified in order to implement particularly important adaptation measures. The recommendations of this project supported in particular the inter-ministerial working group on the German Adaptation Strategy.

Project catalog

Project duration: 2013-2015
The Project catalog documents scientific research projects, which create knowledge for the steps in the process of adaptation to climate change. Since 2008, research projects are compiled to provide an overview of the research landscape in the area of adaptation to climate change; this information is also available in English. In this project the structure and content of the Project catalog for the target groups science, politics and administration were modernized and updated. Links to the “Tatenbank” (deeds bank) were created ("deeds" as a result of a research process) and information on climate impacts and vulnerabilities of the climate study catalog were connected.

Analysis of innovative mechanisms for public participation in the development of the German Adaptation Strategy

Project duration: 2016-2019, FKZ 3716 48 1030
The project aims at developing an evaluation tool for public participation in climate change adaptation. The project will test the evaluation tool in three participatory formats in local communities in Germany that work towards the development of adpative measures to heavy rainfall. Stakheolder participation is targeted at citizens, interest groups and other local stakeholders. The project seeks to motivate stakeholders to take preventive actions. The project is particularly interested in whether the degree to which stakeholders can participate in local decision-making has an impact on their motivation to take preventice actions.

Detailed economic analysis of individual policy instruments and measures for adaptation to climate change

Project duration: 2016-2019, FKZ 3716 48 1000

First catalogs of measures and instruments have been defined within the German Adaptation Strategy (DAS). The research project "Detailed economic analysis of individual policy instruments and measures for adaptation to climate change" now carries out a comprehensive economic analysis. The translation of climate impacts into monetary units, the assessment of adaptation responses, and the cost-benefit analysis of climate change adaptation support the selection of the best measures from an economic point of view. The following research questions will be answered in this study:

• To what extent can adaptation reduce expected damage costs due to climate change and what are the costs of adaptation
• What are the interactions between different climate change adaptation strategies? What are the impacts on other policies?
• How can economic analysis approaches help to identify appropriate policy instruments for climate adaptation?
• How does climate adaptation affect growth, employment and regional and sector specific value added and, in an expanded perspective, which other relevant social effects matter?

One focus of the study is the specification of the macroeconomic model PANTA RHEI to include certain climate change effects and adaptation strategies. As a main result, the comprehensive design of a future policy mix for climate change adaptation will directly contribute to the further development of the next Federal Adaptation Action Plan.

Conditions for success in the communication to deal with extreme events

Project duration: 2012-2015, FKZ 3712 48 103
Due to climate change, extreme events such as heat waves, floods and heavy precipitation will increase in the future. Through a targeted and effective self-provision, the impacts of such events can be mitigated significantly. Against this background, a target group-oriented communication of the risks and precautionary measures is of great importance. In the context of this project, the existing knowledge of action-motivating communication to promote self-provision was extended through the application of different scientific techniques. Communications products about heat waves for the target group 65+ were developed and applied.

Empower communities to systematically deal with the challenges of climate change adaptation (KoBe)

Project duration: 2012-2014, FKZ 3711 41 116
The local level of municipalities plays a crucial role within the framework of the German National Adaptation Strategy. On the one hand, their spatial proximity to particular conditions and structures promises a problem-oriented solution to risks and chances of climate change. On the other hand, it is a great challenge for municipalities to build-up adequate adaptation capacities in light of their specific regional and local circumstances. The project “Empowering communities to systematically deal with the challenges of climate change adaptation (KoBe)” was carried out to explore factors and conditions that influence the capacity of municipalities in Germany to adapt to climate change significantly. In order to identify those factors and conditions, the project team carried out interviews with small and medium-sized municipalities and organised a series of thematic workshops with eleven municipalities. Against this background, the project proposes recommendations and support programmes that are designed to empower municipalities to deal with climate change.
The results are published in the final project report.

The Climate Navigator (“Klimalotse”) for municipalities

Project duration: 2012-2016, FKZ 3712 48 100
The German Federal Environment Agency has been operating the “Climate Navigator”, an online guide for climate change adaptation for municipalities and enterprises, since 2010 already. In order to implement the current findings gained through the use of the guide and the current data on climate change, a new version of the online tool, the “Climate Navigator 2.0”, is currently being worked out. In addition to technical and visual improvements and the integration of the latest findings from science and practice, the Climate Navigator will focus more on the needs of small and medium-sized municipalities in the future.
A research report addresses the adaptation decision process on municipal level. The focus is set on drivers and barriers for dealing with adaptation as well as approaches to implement adaptation measures on a urban level.

Transformation of infrastructures (TRAFIS)

Project time frame: 2016 – 2019, FKZ 3715 48 102 0
In TRAFIS the functional interdependencies of infrastructures are systematized and in regard to their effects on climate resilience and resource efficiency investigated. TRAFIS will give indications how a successfull transformation of infrastructures towards sustainable, resource efficient and climate resilient infrastructures can be reached and supported by the federal level. 

Monitoring of the German Adaptation Strategy – closing indicator gaps

Project duration: 2009-2014, FKZ 3711 41 106
In the context of the indicator project on the DAS, an indicator system was developed and established for the implementation and further development of the German Adaptation Strategy. In addition, a cross-departmental, continuous reporting system is established. The indicators are identified in collaboration with experts from federal and state authorities as well as experts from academia and economy. The results obtained within the project are incorporated into the first indicator-based report on climate change adaptation in Germany and the development of an organisational concept for routine follow-up reports.

Stakeholder-centred analysis of the conditions for success and barriers to adaptation strategies

Project duration: 2013-2016, FKZ 3713 48 101
The project examines the key success conditions and factors of policy processes of adaptation to climate change from a comparative perspective. Following a consistent conceptual approach, (non-)European as well as national and regional processes will be examined. Processes for adaptation to climate change can be understood as change processes that are affected by certain boundary conditions, behaviour patterns and factors. In this sense, the “Models of Change” approach will be transferred to the issue of climate change adaptation. Recommendations for the future design and operational emphasis will be derived on the basis of empirical analysis for a medium-term policy process in Germany. This includes, inter alia, the question how stakeholders/groups of stakeholders at the regional or local level can be supported in order to increase the capacity to adapt to climate change. Furthermore, recommendations explaining how successful adaptation processes can be applied to other regions and actors will be provided.

Development of a service to support the adaptation to climate change by enhancing the knowledge base, specification and support in implementation.

Project duration: 2017-2021, FKZ: 3717 48 1010
KlimAdapt will systematically and continuously provide reviewed information to data, tools (e.g. guidelines, checklists) and consulting services that support decision-making and action when dealing with the impacts of climate change. The project supports the development of KlimAdapt as a federal service for climate adaptation services and lays the ground for its continuous operation. The projects´ goals are: (1) conduct a market research of climate adaptation services (data, tools, etc.) offered by federal authorities, national authorities and other providers within Germany. This analysis focuses on adaptation services that address at least one of the following climate impacts: heavy rainfall and flash flood, heat, drought, river flood, storm surge, change in the development phases of species. The collected services will be technically reviewed. (2) Identification of users of climate adaptation services, including a detailed user- and demand analysis in order to assure a user-oriented and demand-driven presentation and application of adaptation services. Synthesis the results of the market and demand analysis for defining gaps and needs for further development of climate adaptation services. Establishing a provider-user-network that should facilitate the further development and coordination of user-oriented climate adaptation services. (3) The findings of this analyses will also be used to develop a user-oriented and demand-driven web platform, where information on all researched and reviewed climate adaptation services will be provided. (4) Development and test of a scientific evaluation concept that investigates the application of climate adaptation services and gives recommendation for the long-term development of KlimAdapt.