Adaptation and Social Learning (ASL)
Research line leader: Jochen Hinkel
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Gain an in-depth understanding of the drivers, social processes and formal & informal institutions that enable or hinder climate adaptation and social transformations, and co-develop, together with stakeholders, desirable, efficient and robust adaptation strategies in face of deep uncertainty about climate change.
- Climate change adaptation is a continuous learning process involving actors and organizations at all levels. In many cases this involves overcoming social dilemmas through collective action (Bisaro and Hinkel 2016).
- Despite the large uncertainty about sea-level rise, long-term decisions can be improved by applying decision analytical methods that take into account future learning about sea-level rise (e.g. real-option analysis, adaptation pathway analysis) (Hinkel et al. 2019).
- Adapting to 21st century sea-level rise is, for most places, technically feasible, and for about 90% of the coastal population this is much cheaper than retreating from the coast. However, for the remaining 10%, comprising rural and poorer areas, adaptation costs are very high relative to local GDP and cannot be met without national transfers and international support (Lincke and Hinkel 2018, 2021).
- Governing coastal adaptation is a political process that raises distributive conflicts. Powerful actors can capture these processes following their political and/or economic interests, potentially undermining adaptation outcomes (Gussmann and Hinkel 2021).
ACCREU – Assessing Climate Change Risk in Europe
CoCliCo – Coastal Climate Core Service
CONMAR – Governance and management of marine munition in the German North and Baltic Sea
CREATE – Concepts for reducing the impacts of anthropogenic pressures and uses on marine ecosystems and biodiversity
DECIPHER – making framework and Processes for Holistic Evaluation of enviRonmental and climate policies
DIVA – The DIVA modelling framework
ECAS-Baltic – Ecosystem-supporting Coastal Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast
OLAMUR – Offshore Low-trophic Aquaculture in Multi-Use scenario Realisation
PROTECT – PROjecTing sEa-level rise: from iCe sheets to local implicaTions
REST-COAST – Large scale RESToration of COASTal ecosystems through rivers to sea connectivity
The Research Process Adaptation and Social Learning (ASL) at GCF, led by Jochen Hinkel, conducts internationally leading work on the economics and governance of coastal and marine climate adaptation and biodiversity from local to global scales.
A range of topics for master thesis are available within a dozen of applied German and European research projects. These topics fall into either of the following two research fields
- Case studies on the governance and finance of coastal/marine adaptation and biodiversity (e.g. nature-based solutions, marine protected areas, low trophic aquaculture), employing qualitative social science methods and theories from institutional economics and political sciences. A list of current topics can be found here, but please also contact us if you have own ideas.
- Quantitative economic assessment of coastal climate impacts and adaptation options such as coastal protection, managed realignment, biodiversity restoration under deep uncertainty about future sea-level rise (programming skills required). A list of current topics can be found here, but please also contact us if you have own ideas.
For general questions please contact: hinkel-admin@globalclimateforum.org
ClimVar – Integration of climate variability and change into national strategies for the implementation of the ICZM Protocol in the Mediterranean
COACCH – CO-designing the Assessment of Climate CHange costs
CULTURES – Cultures of coastal adaptation
GREEN-WIN – Green growth and win-win strategies for sustainable climate action
Impact2C – Quantifying projected impacts under 2°C of warming
INSeaPTION – INtegrating SEA-level Projections in climate services for coastal adaptation
ISIpedia – Inter-sectoral impacts encyclopedia
ISI-MIP – Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project
MEDIATION – Methodology for effective decision making on impacts and adaptation
PROVIA – Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation
RISES -AM- Responses to coastal climate change: Innovative Strategies for high End Scenarios -Adaptation and Mitigation-
SEASCApe Baltic – SEA-level rise, Storm surges, and Coastal Adaptation at the German Baltic Sea coast
SEASCApe Baltic II – SEA-level rise, Storm surges, and Coastal Adaptation at the German Baltic Sea coast