title: The transnational impacts of global climate change for Germany
title: The transnational impacts of global climate change for Germany
titleType: AlternativeTitle
Creators: name: Peter, Martin
name: Guyer, Madeleine
name: Füssler, Jürg
Publisher: name: Umweltbundesamt
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: Außenhandel
subject: Weltwirtschaft
subject: climate change
subject: climate impacts
subject: foreign trade
subject: adaption to the impacts of climate change
subject: world economy
subject: German Climate Change Adaption Strategy
subject: Climate | Energy

description: Climate change is a global challenge. It manifests itself through changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme regional weather events and gradual changes in the climate. Just like the current coronavirus pandemic, the impacts of climate change make themselves felt in every country irrespective of their geophysical and political boundaries. The Paris Agreement therefore stipulates that adapting to climate change is to be considered as a global challenge. The international dimension of climate change adaptation has been given too little consideration to date. So far, the impacts of climate change have mostly only been observed and examined within national borders. Depending on the extent of its global integration and interaction with other vulnerable countries, a country may, however, be indirectly affected to varying degrees by the international impacts of climate change. This applies both to developed and developing countries. These international impacts of global climate change are of particular relevance to countries which are strongly interwoven with the global economy, such as Germany. On behalf of the German Environment Agency, a research project with the title "Impact CHAIN: the impacts of global climate change on the economy and society in Germany" was commissioned to examine the potential impacts of global climate change on the German economy through foreign trade flows. The results of the project provide an overview of the potential impact chains of global climate change on the German economy. The project used a qualitative analysis to consider the influences of climate change on the German economy and then evaluated their relevance. Some impact chains were subsequently selected to be used in a global macroeconomic model that would investigate the exposure and relevance of climate change-induced disruptions. Lastly, adaptation strategies and measures were developed that would be suitable to be deployed against the most significant global effects. The project was overseen by INFRAS AG (Dr J Füssler, M. Peter, M. Guyer) in close collaboration with partner organisations. The Wegener Center at the University of Graz (Professor B. Bednar-Friedl, N. Knittel, Dr G. Bachner) carried out the quantification and economic modelling of interdependencies. Professor M. von Unger (Atlas Environmental Law Advisory) assisted the research team with legal expertise on embedding the activities into the European financial framework. Professor R. Schwarze from Viadrina European University in Frankfurt (Oder) was responsible for integrating the measures into the EU and international policy context. Quelle: Forschungsbericht
description: Climate change will affect the frequency, intensity and regional occurrence of extreme weather events and lead to gradual climatic changes. Although climate change impacts appear locally at first, they spread beyond political borders due to the global physical and economic interconnectedness. Depending on a country’s extent of global interdependence and interaction with vulnerable countries, it may face the indirect consequences of the international impacts of climate change. This report provides an overview of the potential impact chains of global climate change on the German economy. The project used a qualitative analysis to consider the influences of climate change on the German economy and then evaluated their relevance. Some impact chains were subsequently selected to be used in a global macroeconomic model that would investigate the exposure and relevance of climate change-induced disruptions. Lastly, adaptation strategies and measures were developed that would be suitable to be deployed against the most significant global effects.