Climate Impacts Germany

Climate change has a decisive influence on the use to which spaces will be put in the future. It can influence the use of space directly, as in the case of a floodplain, or indirectly, as through changes in water availability. Climate change also brings with it additional demands on space and land use.

Climate change and thus changes in temperature and precipitation patterns as well as the frequency of extreme events influence the seasonal development, behaviour, reproduction, competitiveness and food relationships of species in the long term. Biodiversity is also threatened by climate change.

As an economic sector and growth industry, tourism is dependent on the weather on both the supply and demand side, as a large number of tourism activities take place outdoors. Accordingly, tourism is also influenced by climatic changes. These affect tourism offers and regions in very different ways.

In general, climate change is expected to have significant negative impacts for all types of fisheries. For marine fisheries, increasing warming and acidification of the oceans are particularly relevant. For inland water fisheries and fish farming in aquacultures, higher water temperatures and increasing drought are relevant.

Increased temperatures, heat waves, late frosts, drought, heavy rain, hail and storms have a direct impact on agricultural production. Due to this high dependence on weather and climate, it is particularly important for agriculture as well as fruit cultivation, viticulture and horticulture to be aware of the impacts of climate change and to prepare for them in time.

Climate change poses major challenges for forests: Extreme events such as heat and drought periods and storms are severely affecting the forest. Pest infestations and forest fires can cause damage over large areas. In many places, the natural adaptive capacity of forests has already been exceeded and is increasingly endangering the climate and forestry yields.

Soils fulfil a variety of functions. They are the basis for the production of healthy food, provide settlement and living space for humans and animals, and are crucial for the water balance and protection of groundwater. Soils are the world's largest terrestrial store of organic carbon and thus also of central importance for climate protection.

Humans react sensitively to extreme weather events. Heat is a direct burden on human health and can lead to severe diseases of the cardiovascular system and, in extreme cases, to death. In addition, climate change favours allergies and pathogens or their vectors. Sunny years increase the risk of UV-related health damage.

The water balance and water management are affected by climate change in many ways. Rising temperatures, changing precipitation and increasing weather extremes influence the quantity and quality of the available water. In coastal regions, effects such as rising sea levels and the consequences of storm surges are added to this, which can affect the water balance and cause major damage.

Heavy rain, flooding, storms, heat and drought affect the navigability of inland waterways and can cause damage to roads, railways, traffic control systems, overhead lines and power poles. Traffic is affected as a result, which can lead to accidents and economic losses.

The impacts of climate change pose new challenges for companies. Risks arise in that, for example, the supply of raw materials and intermediate products as well as the transport of goods can be impaired. Sales markets may change or shift. Opportunities can also arise through the development of innovative environmental technologies.

Financial and insurance service providers are confronted in various ways with the risks and consequences of climate change. The increase in climate-related damage cases is increasing the demands on risk analysis and risk management. The danger of "stranded assets" is also increasing, i.e. a loss of value of investments due to climate risks.