Rising temperatures, extreme weather events like heavy rain and storms – climate change is becoming more and more visible, and Germany is no exception. In this regard, every region faces its own unique challenges. With the course “klimafit”, the goal of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative REKLIM, the WWF Germany and the Universität Hamburg is to prepare citizens for the effects of climate change at their doorstep. As part of the National Climate Initiative, the course will receive 2.2 million euros of funding over three years. In March 2022, the next round of courses will begin at 128 community colleges throughout Germany.
How is climate change affecting our day-to-day private and professional lives? What impacts should citizens in specific regions expect to see? How can communities take action together? The “klimafit” course tackles these questions head-on. In this way, the Helmholtz Climate Initiative “Regional Climate Change and Humans” (REKLIM), the WWF Germany and Universität Hamburg hope to disseminate information on climate change, network people living in the respective regions, and highlight concrete measures they can take. The courses actively and lastingly contribute to the transformation of society that is necessary in order to position the climate problem as a shared challenge.
The courses
Through their joint lighthouse project “klimafit”, REKLIM, the WWF Germany and Universität Hamburg are seeking to promote education on sustainable development based on direct citizen participation, and to actively implement knowledge transfer between the research community and society at large.
The course concept includes six evenings and combines classroom and online sessions. In expert presentations, group discussions and digital modules, participants learn what the causes and effects of the climate crisis are, and which factors can worsen them. At the same time, they have the opportunity to speak with leading researchers, and with local authorities and initiatives. The courses focus on changes in the respective region where they are held. Accordingly, the climate protection officers also provide information on the current protection and adaptation concepts to the communities they serve.
Once they have completed the course, participants are familiar with the most important scientific fundamentals regarding the climate and climate change. They have an overview of the changes taking place at their doorstep and of what they can do in response.
What the initiators have to say
“With the participants of the climate-fit (klimafit) courses, cities and municipalities have gained new multipliers for local climate protection who understand the impacts of climate change in the region, what climate-adaptation measures the local authorities have planned, and what they themselves can do to protect the climate,” says Bettina Münch-Epple, Director of Education at the WWF Germany.
“It’s becoming increasingly important to be informed about the effects of climate change and the opportunities for climate adaptation. Extreme weather events like heavy rain and long heat waves have long ceased to be a rarity. That’s why we need people who ‘bring home’ climate protection to their region. And that’s exactly where klimafit comes in,” reports Dr. Klaus Grosfeld, Managing Director of REKLIM, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven.
“Climate change is everyone’s problem, and we shouldn’t just feel affected, but also take action. That’s something more easily done together than on your own. Working together, we can establish new routines and achieve the required level of engagement through cooperation and solidarity,” explains Prof. Dr. Beate Ratter, Professor of Integrative Geography, Universität Hamburg.
The WWF Germany and the Helmholtz Climate Initiative “Regional Climate Change and Humans” (REKLIM) jointly developed the first “klimafit” course in 2016; Universität Hamburg conducts accompanying research. To date, more than 2,000 people have taken part in the courses, and particularly praise how much they learned about climate change and regional effects – essential aspects of the course.
Transferring research findings and innovative technologies to society is an important component of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres’ research field “Earth and Environment”.
Since January 2022, Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection has financed the “klimafit” project as part of the National Climate Initiative. Through 2024, the course is to be offered at 170 sites nationwide and established as a fixture, so as to make a concrete contribution to the Federal Government’s Climate Action Programme 2030.
Further information on the project, the nationwide course locations and registration: www.klimafit-kurs.de und www.reklim.de.
