Climate adaptation network of state authorities: New methods to support and improve the German climate change adaptation strategy

The German Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (DAS) presents options and objectives for a strategic framework to reduce the vulnerability of society, the environment and the economy due to climate change impacts.  The project, ‘State Authority Climate Adaptation Network – Methods to Support and Improve the German Climate Change Adaptation Strategy’, will provide methodological support for the advancement of the DAS. Central to the project is the identification of options for federal action planning and the development of suitable policy instruments.

The Inter-ministerial Working Group (IMA) on Adaptation to Climate Change is preparing the DAS under the auspices of the Federal Ministry for the Environment. In 2017, the IMA on Adaptation mandated a network of federal agencies and institutions with support for the technical development of scientific content and proposals to improve the DAS. As part of this project, adelphi coordinates the ‘State Authority Climate Adaptation Network’ under the leadership of the Competence Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation (KomPass), run by the Federal Environmental Agency (UBA). The networking and cooperation of the 28 participating authorities is a key component of the project.

The core objective is to develop approaches to optimise the evaluation and selection process for DAS policy instruments. Among other things, the focus here is a stronger coupling of policy instruments and vulnerabilities. The goals also include optimising the identification and selection of measures and instrument combinations based on economic, environmental and social considerations. Within this framework, adelphi and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IÖR) are developing approaches to improve the DAS and take over the organisational and technical support of the state authority network.