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For further details regarding the projects, please contact the responsible person or our group coordinator Ms. Christiane Walter.

Climate Oriented Urban Development (2020-2023)

The project is devoted to urban carbon accounting. For this puporse the project develops ideas how urban emissions can be efficiently measured and will derive an indicator set for this purpose. The latter should be used to identify synergetic fields for action.
Contact: J. Kropp

CliMobCity - 2050 Climate-friendly Mobility in Cities (2019-2022)

The project is about climate mitigation in the field of urban mobility. Many cities have formulated very to modestly ambitious climate aims for the very long term (e.g. 2050) or for a shorter period (e.g. 2030). Whatever aim, many cities are uncertain about if and how they can achieve these goals. The project addresses measure (package)s to sufficiently improve the CO2-performance of urban mobility, and the governance required in this regard. The central question is: How must mobility change to achieve climate-friendly mobility? And because the urbanism also influences the sustainability of mobility, the question includes: How must the urban structure change to achieve climate-friendly mobility? The project contributes to answering these questions.
Contact: F. Reitemeyer, J. Kropp

High-End - Adaptation Options in Case of Severe Climate Change (2019-2022)

Major goal is the development of four high-end climate change scenarios and description of the possible consequences for Germany together with the identification of the limits of adaptation. The impact of high-end climate change on cities is an important cross sectional issue (e.g. Urban Heat Island Effect). It follows an analysis of possible reactions, options for action and suggested measures for the developed high-end scenarios, including transformative adaptation. The project can be seen as a ‘stress test’ for the German adaptation strategy (DAS) and shall give policy advice for the government, the business sector and civil society.
Contact: F. Reusswig

CURE - Copernicus for Urban Resilience in Europe (2019-2022)

Cure tries to develop and to exploit Copernicus products and combine it with further third party approaches to tackle the multidimensional nature of urban sustainability. Therefore it is the main goal of the project CURE to synergistically exploit the above Core Services to develop an umbrella cross-cutting application for urban resilience, consisting of individual cross-cutting applications for climate change adaptation/mitigation, energy and economy, as well as healthy cities and social environments, at several European cities.
Contact: C. Walter, J. Kropp

BioClimaPath - Assessing climate-led social-ecological impacts and opportunities for resilience pathways in the EU bioeconomy (2019-2021)

The project will develop a highly innovative cross-sectoral modeling framework for comprehensive assessments of bioeconomy transitions subject to climate change impacts. Main goals are the identification of explicit climate hot spots in the EU, a development of databases of national and sub-national input-output (IO) comprising disaggregated bioeconomy sectors, to assess economic and environmental impacts of climate hazards on food and non-food biomass supply chains, and new model approaches, e.g. based on agent based approaches, for an assessment of supply chains (e.g. global, national, local, e.g. for cities).
Contact: P. Pradhan

IMpeTUs - Climate Change Impacts on Migration and Urbanization (2018-2021)

Millions of international migrants have recently sought refuge in Europe, animating debates about the best ways to manage migration. Even more people are being displaced within their home countries every year due to natural disasters likefloods and storms; and underlying these sudden events is a steady flow of people leaving their rural livelihoods behind and flocking to the cities in an ongoing trend towards urbanization. Across spatial scales, humanity is on the move. And, that much is clear, climate change plays a role in this. But how large are the effects of climate change - and how do they interact across spatial scales? Little to no quantitative research is available, and the numbers that have been proposed (e.g. of “environmental refugees”) are often crude estimates, and are highly contested. IMPETUS aims for a unified, quantitative modeling approach to understand the linkages between migration, urbanization, and climate change.
Contact: D. Rybski, J.Schewe

TransformAdapt - From Mainstreaming to Transformative Adaptation (2017-2020)

In view of possible high-end climate change and/or tipping point reactions of the Earth system, it might not suffice to mainstream adaptation by adding ‘more of the same’. Instead, transformative pathways and measures of adaptation might be needed. The project explores the narratives (justifications), the types, and best practice examples for transformative adaptation at various levels. The project shall provide policy advice for improving the German adaptation strategy (DAS).
Contact: F. Reusswig

SUSFOOD - Sustainable Food Systems under Climate Change in South Asia (2017-2019)

South Asia is a hot spot in terms of the future increases of food demand, mainly due to demo-graphic growth and shifting lifestyle. According to the latest IPCC report, food production in South Asia will be severely impacted under climate change without adaptation. The project aims to develop - in cooperation with local institution - solutions that ensure current and future food security in South Asia by exploring options for sustainable and climate smart food systems.
Contact: J. Kropp

EU Calculator: trade-offs and pathways towards sustainable and low-carbon European Societies (2016-2020)

Website of the EUCalc project
The EUCalc project aims to deliver an urgently needed comprehensive framework for research, business, and public sector decision makers which identifies and enables an appraisal of synergies and trade-offs of feasible European decarbonisation pathways. The novel and pragmatic modelling approach adopted is rooted between pure complex energy system and emissions models and integrated impact assessment tools. It introduces an intermediate level of complexity and a multi-sector approach that is focused on supporting decision making and will be developed in a co-design process with a broad range of scientific and societal actors. EUCalc explores the impact of the choices that can be made in different sectors, including power and heat generation, transport, industry, buildings, agriculture, and food and of the underlying lifestyle choices of Europe’s citizens in terms of the climatological, societal, and economic consequences. Major outcomes of the project will be a Transition Pathways Explorer and a My Europe 2050 education tool.
Contact: J. Kropp, L. Costa

SUSA - Sustainable land use-based alternatives in the Colombian and Peruvian Amazon (2014-2018)

The purpose of the project was to develop the capacity of the national authorities and local actors, e.g. farmers, in the Peruvian and Colombian Amazon with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change. To achieve this the project supported the development and implementation of sustainable land use measures that help to preserve carbon sinks such as forests in selected pilot regions (Yurimaguas in Peru and Caquetá in Colombia). It demonstrated possible ways in which Peru and Colombia can use these land use measures to achieve the ambitious goals they have set themselves in the field of climate change mitigation. The experience gained in the pilot regions can be applied in other Amazonian regions.
Contact: J. Kropp, P. Pradhan

Recreate - REsearch network for forward looking activities and assessment of research and innovation prospects in the fields of Climate, Research Efficiency and raw mATErials (2013-2018)

RECREATE was a policy support network that collected and analysed strategic information for medium and long-term research, innovation, and prospects. The research was carried out in the area climate action, resource efficiency, and raw materials. While the ERA is quite fragmented between topics, actors, and major innovation systems it is the aim of RECREATE to overcome this fragmentation and to create a clear cut research agenda for the Horizon 2020. The project will look at trade-offs and synergies between climate change mitigation, raw materials, and resource efficiency. The project has a perspective beyond 2020.
Contact: J. Kropp, L. Krummenauer

RAMSES - Reconciling Adaptation, Mitigation and Sustainable Development for Cities (2012-2017)

Website of the RAMSES project
The RAMSES project delivered much needed quantified evidence of the impacts of climate change and the costs and benefits of a wide range of soft (e.g. land use planning) and hard (e.g infrastructure alteration) adaptation measures. It was the particular aim to develop (i) methods and tools to assess climate impacts, vulnerability and risks in cities; (ii) methods to quantify the full economic costs and benefits of climate change adaptation (integrated top-down/bottom-up approach). RAMSES performs certain case studies in certain European and cities in developing countries. The project was coordinated by PIK and funded by EU FRP7.
Contact: J. Kropp, D. Rybski

TESS - Towards European Societal Sustainability (2013-2016)

Website of the TESS project
A broad gap exists between global or national plans and community-based initiatives for transition to a sustainable, low-carbon society. Filling this gap is essential if Europe is to reach ambitious emissions reductions targets whilst still maintaining economic stability. The TESS project bridged this gap through an analysis of multiple European community-based initiatives (carbon reduction, environmental, political, social, economic and technological) in terms of their “climate efficiency” (i.e. emission savings) and up-scaling potential. TESS project developed an accounting system to identify general success factors and beneficial impacts that will make initiatives comparable in terms of their trajectories and output (cf. www.sustainable-communities.eu) specifically directed at community-based initiatives to network and share experiences throughout Europe.
Contact: J. Kropp

CLIP-C - Climate Information Platform for Copernicus (2013-2016)

Website of the CLIPC Project
CLIP-C provided access to climate information of direct relevance to a wide variety of users, from scientists to policy makers and private sector decision makers. Information will include data from satellite and in-situ observations, climate models and re-analyses, transformed data products to enable impacts assessments and climate change impact indicators. The platform complemented existing GMES preoperational components, but will focus on datasets which provide information on climate variability on decadal to centennial time scales from observed and projected climate change impacts in Europe, and will provide a toolbox to generate, compare and rank key indicators (funded by EU FRP7).
Contact: L. Costa, J. Kropp

CMF - Climate Media Factory Potsdam (2011-2013, ongoing as spin-off and affiliated partner of C-KIC)

The Climate Media Factory is rooted in the BMBF Format program that provides funding for collaboration which will not take place under normal circumstances. The project was devoted to the issue of modern and efficient climate communication. The Potsdam Film University and PIK were cooperating in this project and developed a series of new and price awared movies for modern science communication. After the finishing of the project in 2011 Prof. K.D. Müller and J.Kropp founded the Climate Media Factory UG as a spin-off. For about 9 yrs both colleagues acted as CEO/Director before they handed over leadership to jounger colleagues in 2020.
Contact: J. Kropp

SIECS - Smart and Intelligent Education and Climate Services (2014-2016)

SIECS explored necessary contributions and market opportunities for elaborate, context specific and tangible representations of scientific climate information and their embedding into education and training tools that facilitate productive and consistent consideration in decision processes by regional and local authorities and their citizens. The project built a bridge between high quality research and the knowledge demands for concrete action (funded by Climate-KIC).
Contact: J. Kropp.

Synergies – costs of adaptation and adaptive capacities in emerging and developing countries (2012-2015)

The protect targets at potential synergies and conflicts between climate protection and adaptation goals in industrialised and developing countries. The main issue is to identify these effects for countries of different development levels in order to develop tailor-made development plans which avoids carbon intensive and old-fashioned growth scenarios (funded by German Environmental Agency “UBA Deutschland”).
Contact: J. Kropp

PROGRESS - Potsdam Research Cluster on Georisk Analysis, Environmental Change and Sustainability (2009-2014)

The research cluster is part of the ''Top Level Research and Innovation Programm'' of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research and funded by approx. 11m Euros. The urban transformation group hosts the subproject ''Systemanalytical Approaches in Risk Assessment''. The project deals with a systematic analysis of city systems, criteria for risk resilient infrastructure, information transfer, and the development of new tools for decision making.
Contact: J. Kropp

ATLA - Adaptation Toolbox for Local Authorities (2013-2014)

ATLA is a pathfinder project to prepare the structuring of a climate adaptation services offer designed for addressing the specific needs of European local authorities. Sub national levels actors play a forefront role in implementing climate change adaptation strategies and actions. By mapping the current and future needs and existing services offer, this pathfinder project will allow the identification of the components of an innovative user friendly and transparent web toolbox for local authorities, that gathers products and services from KIC partners (funded by Climate-KIC).
Contact: J. Kropp

MEDIATION - Methodology for Effective Decision-making on Impacts and Adaptation (finished in 2013)

Assessment of climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation requires a combination of generic and context-specific knowledge. Currently, the availability of such knowledge in Europe is fragmented and incomplete. MEDIATION addresses these challenges, e.g. by (i) a systematic analysis of the decision-making context; (ii) inventory, review and improvement of methods and metrics for impacts and vulnerability analysis; (iii) likewise for costing of impacts and adaptation options; (iv) development of an overarching integrated methodology; (v) development of a flexible, interactive common platform for knowledge sharing (funded by EU FRP7).
Contact: J. Kropp

ACA - Developing Action Plans against Climate Change in South East Asian Cities (finished in 2013)

Living in cities will become the preferable lifestyle in the 21st century. With regard to climate change cities are both (i) responsible for approx. 70% of all GHG emissions, and (ii) resilient with respect to environmental disaster like cyclones or floods. Therefore it is mandatory to develop strategies which can reconcile adaptation, climate protection and development (win-win-win concepts). The project will analyse structural feature of cities by parallel developing foresighted concepts in this regard. For this purpose the project involved 4 case study cities in India (Cochin, Madurai, Visak, Guntur) and 4 on the Philippines (Bagio, Dagupan, San Fernando, Tuguegarao). The project was funded by the International Climate Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Germany.
Contact: J. Kropp, D. Rybski

TransRisk - Transitions and Risks for Developing Countries (finalised - 2013)

The vision of the project is to develop ideas and options how transitions for particular sectors and countries might look like. It is part of a project performed with German Technical Cooperation which develops tools and concepts for efficient adaptation in developing countries. Both part projects are improving and maintaining the Climate Impacts Platform (cf. above) (funded by BMU).
Contact: J. Kropp

HYDERABAD - Megacities: Climate and Energy in a complex transition process towards Sustainability in Hyderabad (finalised - 2013)

The Hyderabad project involves 11 German, Indian and International Partners. The objective of the project is to establish Hyderabad as a „Low Emission City in Asia“; it comprises the following components: (a) Designing a „Sustainable Development Framework“, which involves mitigation and adaptation strategies regarding climate change and the provision of energy; (b) Developing a „Perspective Action Plan“ towards conceptualizing relevant implementation strategies and (c) Initiating pilot projects, learning processes, institutions and governance structures, contributing to permanent behavioural changes (financed by BMBF).
Contact: M. Lüdeke

AdaptCosts – costs of adaptation and adaptive capacities in emerging and developing countries (finalised 2012)

This project, conducted together with Germanwatch, primarily aims at analyzing the costs of adaptation in selected important emerging and developing countries. The project addresses three main questions: (i) Which financial resources are necessary in the selected countries to adapt to climate change? (ii) Which financial resources are already planned and budgeted in national adaptation plans of the selected countries? (iii) What are the financial and institutional adaptive capacities of the selected countries? ( funded by German Environmental Agency “UBA Deutschland”)
Contact: J. Kropp, L. Costa

RIVAS - Regional Integrated Vulnerability Assessment for Austria (finalised - 2012)

The project responds to both the explicit call for improved vulnerability studies on the sub-national and regional level and to an urgent need for knowledge on regional vulnerabilities in Austria. The project will pursue three closely interlinked main lines of activities: (i) the preparation of a transferable conceptual, methodological and procedural framework for regional vulnerability assessment, (ii) the application of the participatory vulnerability assessment concept in an Austrian pilot region (Pinzgau-Pongau); and (iii) the evaluation of test results and stakeholder process performance. (funded by the Environmental Agency of Austria).
Contact: J. Kropp

KIBEX: Critical Infrastructure, and climate change related extreme events (finalised - 2012)

Infrastructure and population are most affected by climate extremes. In so far it is the aim of the project to describe systematically how infrastructure and population might be affected and which components of the social and physical system part have to be considered for a risk assessment (financed by Minstry of the Interior).
Contact: J. Kropp

BaltCICA - Climate Change: Impacts, Costs and Adaptation in the Baltic Sea Region (finalised - 2012)

The project aims to estimate costs for adaptation actions and climate related damages for several coastal communities in the Baltic sea catchment. Central element of the project is an impact model intercomparison for models estimating impacts of sea-level rise (financed by INTERREG BSR).
Contact: J. Kropp, D. Rybski

ESPON Climate - Climate Change and territorial effects on regions and local economies in Europe (finalised - 2011)

The European planning and observation network is set up to support policy development and to build a European scientific community in the field of territorial development. In this context climate change play increasingly an important role. The project goes beyond problem descriptions, but addresses potential implications that climate change can have on territorial development. By analysing different European regions, its vulnerability, and adaptation options in more detail, e.g. for North-Rhine Westphalia in Germany, the European Alps, the Mediterranean coastal region in Spain, or the Tizia river catchment in SE Europe the challenges for the regions will be examined (financed by European Union structural funds).
Contact: J. Kropp

ENSURE - Enhancing resilience of communities and territories facing natural and na-tech hazards (finalised - 2011)

The project attempts to develop a new methodological framework for an integrated Multi-Scale Vulnerability Assessment, based on comprehensive, integrated and inter-disciplinary understanding of how adaptation strategies can be improved in the future in order to reduce losses, economic damages and social discomfort of communities exposed to natural hazards and potential consequences of climate change (financed by EU 7FRP).
Contact: J. Kropp, L. Costa

CI:grasp - Climate Impacts: Global & Regional Adaptation Support Platform (finalised - 2011)

CI:grasp Website
CI:grasp aims to provide a sound information basis for decision makers and development experts in third world countries. By doing this, existing and newly generated information will be processed adequately and supplied by utilization of modern web and mapping technologies. It is the aim of the project to perform this on a local scale and in addition combine top-down and bottom-up approaches. Central element is a layered and accessible platform providing knowledge about regional climate forcings, its related impacts, and systematic regional vulnerability assessments. A major advantage of the platform is that it integrates adaptation expertise. Parallel systematization and assessment of this information should open the way towards a more formalized adaptation research. CI:grasp performs local case studies in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Tunisia, and South-Africa (financed by BMU).
Contact: J. Kropp

Archetypes - Patterns of Vulnerability (finalised 2011)

The aim of this project is to explore the possibilities to develop a methodology for the quantitative analysis of archetypes of vulnerability. Quantification is done by using indicators from the MNP GISMO model and the IMAGE framework. Such an approach paves the roads towards a comprehensive Global Change vulnerability assessment. The impacts of different policy interventions on the vulnerability of people are also analyzed (financed by MNP/Netherlands).
Contact: M. Lüdeke

WAKE III - Climate Impacts, Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Strategies in European Focus Regions (finalised - 2010)

The policy oriented project addresses the challenge of adaptation to climate change in sensitive regions in Europe by assessing needs, barriers and drivers of adaptation. In 2007 and 2008 the project focussed on the impacts of climate change on water availability in the European Alps and potential adaptation strategies. Vulnerability and adaptation options are analyzed in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders and decision makers. In 2009 a guideline for regional adaptation will be developed (financed by EEA/UBA).
Contact: N. Rudolf

ACCMA - Adaptation aux Changements Climatiques au Maroc (finalised 2010)

Morocco is one of the countries in northern Africa which is already and will be particularly affected by adverse effects of climate change. In parallel several provinces have defined ambitious (economic) growth targets (extension and development of touristic resorts) which may lead several regions to its ecological limits (e.g. with regard to water resources). It is the goal of the project to estimate the action leeways, support educating and sustainable decision making in the provinces Nador and Berkane (financed by IDRC/DIFID).
Contact: J. Kropp

LSA - Saxony-Anhalt Climate Change Study (finalised 2010)

The study focused on climate change effects in the natural sphere (e.g. foresty, phenology, water, etc.). Possible changes were estimated and assessed. The were based on three different scenarios and two different models (financed by MLU).
download full report as pdf (19 MB)
download annex (17 MB)
Contact: J. Kropp

NRWII - North Rhine-Westphalia Vulnerability & Adaptation Study (finalised 2009)

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populated state of Germany. The study estimates on a small-scale level (municipality level and below) the vulnerability for seven different sectors (agriculture, forestry, environmental protection, hydrology including energy, human health, tourism and city planning) to climate change. Based on the results adaptation options for these sectors are identified (financed by MUNLV).
download full report as pdf (high resolution, 53 MB!, in German only)
Contact: J. Kropp

ARMONIA - Applied multi Risk Mapping of Natural Hazards for Impact Assessment (finished 2007)

The project provided the EU with a set of harmonised methodologies for producing integrated risk maps to achieve more effective spatial planning procedures in areas prone to natural disasters in Europe (financed by EU FRP6).
Contact: J. Kropp

ASTRA - Developing Policies & Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region (finished 2007)

The project assessed regional impacts of the ongoing global change in climate and developed strategies and policies for climate change adaptation. The project addressed threats arising from climate change in the region, such as extreme temperatures, droughts, forest fires, storm surges, winter storms and floods. In order to elaborate adaptation and mitigation strategies regional and local spatial planners and stakeholders were involved throughout the project lifetime. The project was awarded with the Amber Tree Award by the INTERREG office for its foresighted vision (financed by INTERREG BSR)
Contact: J. Kropp

SCENARIO - Common European Strategy for sustainable natural and induced technological hazard mitigation (finished 2007)

The aim of the project, financed under the Strategic Support Action of the EU Commission, was to provide ideas regarding the potential threats menacing Europe in the future, particularly in the field of natural and na-tech hazards, and about how communities’ exposure and vulnerability will contribute to shape and change future risks (financed by EU 6FRP).
Contact: J. Kropp

SCALING -Scaling and Extreme Value Analysis of Hydrometeorological Time Series Data (finished 2005)

The project developed new statistical methods for extreme value assessment and detection of correlation in finite and non-stationary data series. The newly developed techniques were tested with hydrologist from water management boards and implemented into practice (financed by BMBF).
Contact: J. Kropp

URBS-PANDENS - Urban Sprawl: European Patterns, Environmental Degradation and Sustainable Development (finished 2005)

URBS PANDENS provides an integrated impact assessment of regulations, incentives, economic instruments and infrastructure measures on urban sprawl. Within the project several policies as imposed by European, national and regional agencies were investigated and options for improvement were developed (financed by EU 6FRP).
Contact: M. Lüdeke

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