Climate talks in Halle address the need for adaptation to climate change in urban areas

On 18.09.2013, Christian Kind presented adelphi’s activities in dealing with climate changes risks of municipalities in Halle. In this series of events organised by the Independent Institute for Environmental Issues (“Unabhängiges Institut für Umweltfragen”), representatives of the city, the University of Halle and civil society organisations participated in discussions about the management of climate change impacts.

Especially the tension between climate change adaptation and climate protection at the local level was discussed in detail.
In the context of adelphi’s recently completed project on “Adaptation Strategies for European Cities” it was highlighted that valuable synergies can be established between the two fields of action. Among the large number of municipalities, Malmö and Birmingham are worth emphasising. In these cities, newly created green spaces contribute to cleaner air and cool the cities’ climate. The problem, however, is the cooling of buildings with air conditioning systems: while these increase the well-being especially on hot days, they increase the energy consumption, and – if such systems are widely used - also the outside temperatures.
The participants agreed on one aspect in particular: we need more initiatives that demonstrate how each citizen can contribute to adaptation to climate change, for example if home owners install percolation areas on their property - this can relieve the municipal sewer systems during heavy rain periods. There is a lack of communication formats that appeal to everyone. One of the few exceptions is the campaign of the British water company Thames Water, which published the slogan “Yes we are in drought” on London buses to advocate water saving efforts during the droughty spring of 2013. This campaign was complemented by a website which provided concrete tips to save water, but also the possibility to order free tools such as shower timers or water-saving gadgets for garden hoses.