Germany

Our Work in the Region

Our research in Germany focuses on understanding how climate change affects agricultural and forest production, water availability, and human health, and on identifying sustainable adaptation and mitigation strategies across sectors. Addressing the complex interactions between these systems is essential for developing integrated approaches that strengthen climate resilience.

Water, agriculture and human health

Long-lasting droughts have severe impacts on water resources especially groundwater and place major strains on water supply management, especially in large metropolitan areas like Berlin. Agriculture, in particular, is highly vulnerable to such climate extremes, often facing substantial yield losses. Our work explores how diversified cropping systems can build resilience, enhance biodiversity, and deliver co-benefits for human health.

Dietary change offers key opportunities to improve health and sustainability. Our research focuses on integrated food system solutions, such as applying Planetary Health Diet principles in healthcare institutions, can improve nutrition, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce environmental impacts from food production and consumption.

Forests and bioeconomy

Forests play a key role in climate change mitigation and the transition toward a sustainable bioeconomy. Timber, as a renewable material, can help replace carbon-intensive products. At the same time, sustainable forest management in Germany must incorporate climate projections while preserving essential ecosystem services. Our research analyzes how different forest management approaches can balance mitigation, biodiversity, and resource use to guide climate-smart forestry and nature conservation.

Bioeconomy

Climate change also affects regional economies such as tourism, which depends heavily on seasonal weather conditions. We develop sustainable concepts, tools, and adaptation options to strengthen the resilience of the tourism sector and secure long-term economic and social benefits for climate-affected regions.

Selected Projects

  • ABCDR Verbundprojekt CDR: Biophysikalische Potentiale von und skalenübergreifende Entscheidungsfindung zur Agroforstwirtschaft für CDR; funded by BMBF DLR; 01.08.2022-31.12.2025; contact: B. Bodirsky, C. Müller
  • DCropS4OneHealth-2 - BiodivGesundheit: Diversifying cropping systems for the One Health of soils, plants and humans
  • ForestOvershoot - Realizing Carbon Dioxide Removals from German forests and innovative wood use in construction under increasing disturbance risk and overshooting
  • KARO - Klimaresiliente Anbauverfahren zur Risiko-Optimierung – unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Ziele der Ackerbaustrategie und ihrer regionalen Erfordernisse
  • KESD - Versteckte Kosten der Ernährung in Deutschland: Wissenschaftliche Hintergundstudie / Costs of the German Food System
  • NURISHD - NURsing home and hospital food service – Implementation of Healthy and Sustainable Diets
  • SpreeWasser:N - Adaption an Wasser-Extremereignisse: Dürremanagement, integrierte Wasserbewirtschaftungskonzepte und verbesserte Wasserspeicherung in der Region Berlin-Brandenburg
  • WaldSpektrum-RD2 - Klimaplastische Wälder – Die Potenziale im natürlichen Spektrum erkennen und forstwirtschaftlich nutzen

Selected references

  • Becker, R., Schauberger, B., Merz, R., Schulz, S., Gornott, C. (2025): The vulnerability of winter wheat in Germany to air temperature, precipitation or compound extremes is shaped by soil-climate zones. - Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 361, 110322.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2024.110322
  • Bronstert, A., Apel, H., Bormann, H., Bürger, G., Haberlandt, U., Hannappel, A., Hattermann, F. F., Heistermann, M., Huang, S., Iber, C., Joneck, M., Kolokotronis, V., Kundzewicz, Z. W., Menzel, L., Meon, G., Merz, B., Meuser, A., Nied, M., Paton, E. N., Petrow, T., Rottler, E. (2024): Hochwasser und Sturzfluten an Flüssen in Deutschland. - In: Brasseur, G. P., Jacob, D., Schuck-Zöller, S. (Eds.), Klimawandel in Deutschland, Berlin : Springer, 2. ed., 109-130. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66696-8_10
  • Conradt, T., Engelhardt, H., Menz, C., Vicente-Serrano, S. M., Alvarez Farizo, B., Peña-Angulo, D., Domínguez-Castro, F., Eklundh, L., Jin, H., Boincean, B., Murphy, C., López-Moreno, J. I. (2023): Cross-sectoral impacts of the 2018–2019 Central European drought and climate resilience in the German part of the Elbe River basin. - Regional Environmental Change, 23, 32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-023-02032-3
  • Conradt, T. (2022): Choosing multiple linear regressions for weather-based crop yield prediction with ABSOLUT v1.2 applied to the districts of Germany. - International Journal of Biometeorology, 66, 11, 2287-2300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02356-5
  • Köhl, M., Gutsch, M., Lasch-Born, P., Müller, M., Plugge, D., Reyer, C. P. O. (2024): Wald und Forstwirtschaft im Klimawandel. - In: Brasseur, G. P., Jacob, D., Schuck-Zöller, S. (Eds.), Klimawandel in Deutschland, Berlin: Springer, 2. ed., 249-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66696-8_19
  • Koch, H., Gädeke, A., Hattermann, F. F. (2024): Szenarien des globalen Wandels im bergbaugeprägten Spreegebiet – Ein Rückblick nach 20 Jahren. - Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung, 68, 2, 73-89. https://doi.org/10.5675/HyWa_2024.2_1
  • Kunstmann, H., Fröhle, P., Hattermann, F. F., Marx, A., Smiatek, G., Wanger, C. (2024): Wasserhaushalt im Klimawandel. - In: Brasseur, G. P., Jacob, D., Schuck-Zöller, S. (Eds.), Klimawandel in Deutschland, Berlin : Springer, 2. ed., 213-226.
  • Lambrecht N.J., Pörtner L.M., Schlenger L., Gabrysch S. (2025) Healthiness and sustainability of foodservice in German healthcare institutions. The Lancet Planetary Health 9(7):101274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.05.004.
  • Lotze-Campen, H., Conradt, T., Ewert, F., Frühauf, C., Gömann, H., Michaelis, P., Lüttger, A., Nendel, C., Weigel, H.-J. (2024): Klimawirkungen und Anpassung in der Landwirtschaft. - In: Brasseur, G. P., Jacob, D., Schuck-Zöller, S. (Eds.), Klimawandel in Deutschland, Berlin : Springer, 2. ed., 237-247.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-66696-8_18