Chameleon

Adapting Utilities to Climate Change - Analysing and Developing Private and Public Action
Period: October 2009 - September 2013
Supported by: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Berlin
Cooperation Partners: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg 

Involved IÖW employees: Maja Rotter, Dr. Esther Hoffmann (Project leader IÖW), Julia Glahe, Nils Marscheider

Description

Climate change alters and endangers not only natural areas but also our social and technical infrastructure. Extreme weather phenomena such as storms and flooding can bring down power lines or make rail lines impassible. Heat waves may cause a shortage of cooling water at power stations. Besides measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there is an increasing need for strategies to help society adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change.

The Chameleon Research Group focuses its attention on the political framework which strongly influences adaptation strategies in the utility sector. How should political and corporate action be coordinated to provide the best environment for the development and implementation of adaptation strategies?

Chameleon investigates the way in which companies in the energy and transport sector adapt to climate change. The key issue is to identify the factors which foster or hinder this adaptation process.

Chameleon is making an important contribution to adaptation theory by systematically generalizing the results. This gives companies, politicians and government agencies the tools they need to effectively develop and implement an adaptation roadmap.

to the project website

Contact

Publication of the project:

frisch:
Eisenack, Klaus; Stecker, Rebecca; Reckien, Diana, Hoffmann, Esther (2011)
Springer Science+Business Media, Berlin
Pechan, Anna; Rotter, Maja; Eisenack, Klaus (2011)
Eisenack, Klaus; Stecker, Rebecca; Reckien, Diana; Hoffmann, Esther (2011)
Potsdam
Stecker, Rebecca; Pechan, Anna; Steinhäuser, J. Micha; Rotter, Maja; Scholl, Gerd; Eisenack, Klaus (2011)

Topic: Climate and Energy, Sustainable Corporate Governance
Research field: Corporate Environmental Management