GERICS Climate-Focus-Papers

Based on the climate-fact-sheet concept, a Climate-Focus-Paper series has been developed in collaboration with German KfW Development Bank. GERICS Climate-Focus-Papers provide an introduction to topics of particular relevance to KfW project managers and technical experts. They offer practical support towards the design of projects and investments, in addition to aiding the evaluation of climate feasibility studies.

Three GERICS Climate Focus Papers and two Climate Focus Papers from the CARBOSTORE project, in which GERICS was involved, are currently available:

GERICS Climate-Focus-Paper "Cities and Climate Change"

Cities are drivers of global climate change and at the same time are affected by climate impacts. In addition to climate change, cities are confronted by challenges in relation to urbanization, natural hazards, and their interactions. This Focus Paper has been developed in cooperation with the KfW Development Bank to highlight the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through climate mitigation policies, as well as for adaptation action to combat existing and potential climate impacts.

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GERICS Climate-Focus-Paper "Global Sea Level Rise"

Sea level rise (SLR) is of major relevance and importance to a range of different adaptation investment decisions in coastal areas, and as such needs to be adequately considered in climate feasibility studies.
SLR is however, a highly complex topic with much associated scientific uncertainty, chiefly around questions of how much sea level rise there might be, and, how soon a certain level of SLR might be reached. This Focus Paper has been developed to raise awareness of the issue and how wide ranging the impacts from SLR are, and to assist decision makers in incorporating future projections of SLR into climate feasibility studies.

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GERICS Climate-Focus-Paper "Regional Sea Level Rise - South Asia"

Changes in mean sea level are the result of the complex interplay of a number of climatic and non-climatic factors. Regional and local mean sea level may differ significantly from global mean sea level because of variation in the relative importance of the different factors across the world. A Focus Paper on global sea level rise is also available which discusses these issues. Particularly at the regional and local level, the importance of non-climatic factors, e.g. subsidence or uplift, may be more important drivers of sea level change, than climatic ones.

As such, when developing projects and considering investment decisions that may be sensitive to changes in sea level, it is important that adequate consideration of all relevant factors has been taken, and the implications this may have for projects well understood. This Focus Paper highlights the challenge od understanding changes in sea level, and the associated impacts, for the Bay of Bengal, a region in South Asia.

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CARBOSTORE Climate-Focus-Paper "Carbon Storage in the North and Baltic Seas - Part 1: Carbon Pools and Fluxes"

Climate Focus Paper 1, produced as part of the CARBOSTORE project, provides a brief overview of the main carbon pools and fluxes in the North Sea and Baltic Sea, focussing on carbon storage in the water column and sediment.

further information (1,4 MB)

CARBOSTORE Climate-Focus-Paper "Carbon Storage in the North and Baltic Seas - Part 1: Carbon Pools and Fluxes"

Climate Focus Paper 2, which was also produced as part of the CARBOSTORE project, deals with possible changes in carbon stocks in the North and Baltic Seas under the influence of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances.

further information (1,9 MB)