On 17 December 2008, the Federal Cabinet adopted the German Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (DAS). This created a strategic framework to adapt to the effects of climate change in Germany. In the process of implementing the DAS ("DAS Process"), the Federal Government is coordinating the ongoing work on national adaptation in the various ministries. The overarching, long-term goal of the DAS is "to reduce the vulnerability or maintain and enhance the adaptability of natural, social and economic systems to the unavoidable effects of global climate change". In the context of further development and continuous optimization of the adaptation process, the Interministerial Working Group on Adaptation (IMAA) stated in its 2015 progress report that the DAS process should be evaluated regularly. The evaluation aims to highlight successes from the DAS, identify weak points and develop recommendations to improve the process.
This report contains the results of the first evaluation of the German Adaptation Strategy to Climate Change (DAS). It summarizes the findings of the evaluation team and lists recommendations to improve the DAS process along five central evaluation questions. The questions are:
- Are the framework conditions suitable for the DAS process (for example, exchange and coordination, structures for horizontal and vertical cooperation, resources, etc.)?
- What is the implementation status of APA II?
- To what extent does adaptation to climate change have an adequate foundation (sustainability, mainstreaming)?
- To what extent has the DAS process led citizens and companies to take on additional responsibility in adapting to climate change (self-provision)?
- To what extent has the DAS process contributed to reducing vulnerability to the effects of climate change?
