The German government established the political framework for adapting to the unavoidable consequences of climate change with the German adaptation strategy (DAS) and the Adaptation Action Plan (APA). Since then, actors on different levels have been realising a variety of measures – ranging from the development of strategies to making investments. An important driver of this trend is the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety’s "Support programme for climate change adaptation measures".
Since 2012, nearly 90 projects by municipalities, companies, and educational institutions have been sponsored by this programme (as of April 2016). In the course of the programme, both the sponsors and beneficiaries of these projects have gained valuable experience that can now be applied to optimising the programme. It can also be reasonable to develop the programme to responds to possible changes in the political environment, such as new or more precise priorities.
In light of this, adelphi and Fraunhofer ISI supported the programme and worked on proposals for its further development. The project team analysed which change processes have been further promoted by the programme, and how the support instrument could be more efficiently applied in the future. In addition to a literature review, this included the processing and assessment of quantitative data. The programme and its supported projects were also evaluated and reflected upon via interviews. The consortium was also networking the participating actors via two large events to support the exchange of knowledge and experience. adelphi prepared, organised, carried out, and processed the events with the occasional support of the Fraunhofer ISI.
Based on the results of the analyses and events, adelphi developed recommendations for the further development of the support programme. An independent group of experts participated in the project and complemented the recommendations. Furthermore, adelphi developed a communications concept and individual communications products that communicate the insights of the project and the sponsored projects.
