From 23 to 25 September 2019, the 2nd International Conference “Our Climate – Our Future: Regional Perspectives on a Global Challenge” of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative “Regional Climate Change” (REKLIM) took place in Berlin, Germany. The conference programme included keynote speeches, oral presentations, poster presentations, networking opportunities and a number of additional discussion platforms.
Six different topics dealt with questions on rising sea levels in a warming climate, on atmospheric interactions between global and regional scales or on extreme events. Topic 6 dealt with “Adaptation to climate change as a societal challenge”. Under the key questions “What social risks does climate change entail”, “What socio-cultural adaptation barriers must be overcome” and “How can scientific findings be translated into social action”, general concepts of adaptation and selected case studies on adaptation were presented in several sessions.
Dr. Kathrin Foshag (Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg University) represented the TdLab Geography in Panel 6 with a talk on “Viability of Public Spaces in Cities with Increasing Heat Stress in a Warming Climate”. On the basis of a pilot study in Heidelberg, the transdisciplinary study shows how major societal challenges such as adaptation to climate change in cities can be solved through exchange and cooperation with local actors.
The conference ended on Thursday 26 September with a public day to discuss the local impacts of climate change in Berlin and Brandenburg. In addition, ideas were developed on how to meet the societal challenge of climate change and shape a sustainable future.
(Blog-Post by Kathrin Foshag)
