The multiannual interdisciplinary research project “Climate and Landscape Change in Rhineland-Palatinate” (KlimLandRP) was established in April 2008. At a press conference on 3rd April 2008, the Environment Ministry presented the project to the public. One of the project partners is the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), well known in the field of climate change research. The Environment Minister and Prof. Dr. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Head of PIK, signed an agreement for the future cooperation at the press conference in April 2008.
The consequences of climate change will influence all environmental sectors and all kinds of land use. The intensities of the impact, however, will be regionally diverse. Regional research dealing with the consequences of climate change in Germany are therefore of prime significance. KlimLandRP studies the effects, risks and changes that climate change might have on the federal state Rhineland-Palatinate, and develops possible adaptation measures.
Current and future potentially vulnerable areas will be identified, and possible developments described by means of regional climate projections, geographical data, scenario analysis and simulations. The aim is to determine the corridor of potential climate-driven developments in Rhineland-Palatinate, and to point out their consequences to relevant environmental sectors, different land-use systems and biodiversity.
