Climate change adaptation in cities

In the last approximately 120 years, global climate change has been observed. This change is reflected, among other things, in an increase in the global average temperature and a spatial and temporal redistribution of precipitation amounts. This also has impacts on the climate in Baden-Württemberg. Especially due to the varied topography and land use, different climates can be found here, where the effects of global climate change are shown differently. Therefore, adaptation to these climate changes is becoming an increasingly important topic in various fields of action. The adaptation strategy of the state of Baden-Württemberg has examined the adaptation needs and possibilities for different fields of action, as not every field is equally affected by climate changes and can adapt to the consequences of climate change in the same way and to the same extent.

From a written survey among cities in Baden-Württemberg and in-depth expert discussions with representatives from companies and cities, the state of climate adaptation was described. Additionally, it was determined what role weather and climate play in each field of action. From this, thresholds for climatic variables such as temperature and precipitation were derived. These are of practical importance for municipal decisions regarding climate change adaptation and are called climate parameters.

Climate parameters

Using several regional climate simulations, the climate parameters determined in the survey were calculated for the control period (1971-2000), compared with measured data, and evaluated for the near future (2021-2050).

The central concern of the present study was continuous exchange between application and climate science. This was achieved not only through the survey but also through the joint 'translation' of practical experiences with weather and climate into concrete numerical values, in order to evaluate a climate parameter with the regional climate model simulations. Additionally, the calculated results were reported back to the experts, who assessed the need for action as a consequence of the expected future changes.

Overall, the professional exchange increased awareness of the use of climate research results. These can be used as a basis for regional climate adaptation measures.