Background and Goals

Our climate is changing worldwide. This climate change calls for regional thinking and action. Even though the impact of climate change is still relatively small in Germany by global standards, we are being affected - in different ways across different regions. The ability to adapt to these changes will be critical to preserving the environment and our living standards. The objective of the KLIMZUG funding programme is to establish a sound awareness of the necessity of climate adaptation in society and to get regions in shape to survive under changed climatic conditions.

KLIMZUG is supporting seven regions in Germany. In these regions, measures for adaptation to climate change are being developed and implemented. As coastal regions differ from low mountain ranges and rural areas differ from cities, KLIMZUG has a regional focus. The adaptation measures are tailored to the model regions and tested in them. They are designed to become a model for other regions of Germany and for other countries.

Objectives

The aim of KLIMZUG is to develop innovative strategies to adapt to climate change and the associated weather extremes inregions based on specific local requirements. The objective is to appropriately incorporate anticipated climate changes into regional planning and development processes. Global issues - such as climate change - must be countered with measures at a regional or local level. Therefore, KLIMZUG gives particular emphasis to the regional aspect. It is intended to strengthen regions' future competitiveness on the one hand, and to promote the development and use of new technologies, methods and strategies for adaptation to climate change in the regions on the other.

The seven combined projects in the model regions in Germany are:

• nordwest2050 – Perspectives for climate adapted innovation processes in the Bremen/Oldenburg metropolitan region in the North West;
• KLIMZUG-NORD – Strategic adaptation solutions for climate change in the Hamburg metropolitan region;
• RADOST – Regional adaptation strategies for the German Baltic Sea coast;
• INKA BB – Climate adaptation innovation network in the Brandenburg Berlin region;
• REGKLAM – Regional climate adaptation programme: Dresden model region;
• KLIMZUG North Hessen – Climate adaptation network for the North Hessen model region;
• DynAKlim – Dynamic adaptation of regional planning and development processes to the effects of climate change in the Emscher Lippe region (Northern Ruhrgebiet);

Creating and implementing regional networks is the key instrument of KLIMZUG. Regional cooperation networks enable the academic, planning, technical and commercial strengths of the players involved to be pooled. They establish structures that facilitate timely handling of climate change while taking account of the latest academic findings. The objective is to create networks that will be sustainable in the long term and will guarantee and strengthen a region's competitiveness in the face of future climate conditions. Education issues and capacity building also play a major role in KLIMZUG in raising local awareness of the issue of climate change and ensuring successful adaptation, which is mainly down to the population living in a region.

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Research area/region

Participants