Uncommon business opportunities
In Germany, the impact of climate change is driving demand for improved monitoring of water resources in cities. Several measures at different levels can be implemented to counteract and prevent urban climatic effects. This includes the establishment of a “green” and “blue” infrastructure, with vegetation and water areas within the cities leading to improved air quality and reduced noise exposure. Furthermore, customized area management can restrict the sealing of surfaces – which is especially important in highly populated areas – and thus ensure that there are adequate infiltration possibilities as well as fresh air “bubbles“. These issues are now prominent in the national agenda, which has led to increasing investments in air quality improvement. The Roof Water Farm Project in Berlin was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and demonstrates approaches to decentralized urban water management and food production.
Further local and regional adaptation to increasingly frequent extreme weather events and higher climate variability are required and infrastructure must be improved. A wide range of projects has already been initiated on the federal and local levels, providing reference points for appropriate adaptation strategies. Furthermore, they promote research and strategy development as well as the implementation of concrete measures. More than 90 percent of all major German cities (76 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants) are actively developing concepts and strategies for adaptation to climate change (UBA, 2018).
Germany supports the development and application of new solutions to climate challenges – and therefore presents interesting and rare business opportunities for international firms.
