The KLiVO Portal: The German Climate Preparedness Portal

The KLiVO Portal supports the federal government, the federal states, the district and municipal authorities and associations, as well as members of the public, in adapting to the unavoidable consequences of climate change, by providing helpful services offering guidance in taking precautions against the effects of climate change. The Portal brings together data and information on climate change and climate change adaptation services which can support users in dealing with the effects of climate change. Currently on the KLiVO portal, users can find services offered by the authorities of the federal government and the federal states and further institutions working with public entities. All services are regularly examined to ensure that they are in line with the latest findings; they have a sound scientific basis, and can be used free of charge.

Host organisation: The platform is managed by the German Environment Agency and the German Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst) on behalf of the Federal Government. The Interministerial Working Group "Adaptation Strategy", led by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, is the steering committee for the Portal.

Launch date: September 2018

Update status: The content and functionalities of the platform are constantly updated.

Funding: KLiVO is funded by the Federal Government of Germany.

Team: The KLiVO team consists of two persons that manage/coordinate the platform, two technical support persons and two contractors that support the editing, functionalities and technical development.

Main functions:

• Providing guidance on how to undertake adaptation
• Providing quantitative data for adaptation decision-making
• Providing decision-support tools for adaptation decision-making
• Sharing adaptation solutions and case studies

Intended audiences:

• National-level decision makers /national government
• City and regional-level decision-makers / local government
• Communities / general public
• Private sector / businesses
• Civil society (NGO / charities)

Focus sectors for the platform:

• Health
• Agriculture
• Oceans / fisheries
• Forests and other ecosystems
• Transport
• Infrastructure / built environment
• Trade
• Finance / insurance
• Disaster risk
• Biodiversity 
• Spacial, regional and development planning
• Tourism
• Water resource management

Why the platform was established

The Climate Preparedness Portal (KLiVO) stems from the first progress report of the German Strategy of Adaptation to Climate Change (DAS) which was published in 2015 and it forms a part of the implementation of the DAS. Since the federal Government adopted the Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change in 2008, a lot of things have happened - data has been collected, research has been done into the consequences of climate change, new instruments have been developed and various measures have been implemented. In the future too, we will present the consequences of climate change and adaption measures undertaken on an ongoing basis in the form of a monitoring report and will regularly reassess the future vulnerability of Germany, evaluate the adaption process on a continuous basis and press ahead with progress reports and action plans. The federal government is now bundling together all activities concerned with the implementation of the DAS along with the steadily growing body of knowledge on the consequences of climate change and adaption measures in the Climate Preparedness Portal.

Operating and updating the KLiVO Portal

The platform managers are constantly looking for new services to be included in the KLiVO Portal. New services are either detected by research, recommendations by providers, expert committees or networks. Also, providers of services can submit their services online.

The information provided on all services can be updated by service providers on a regular basis. Therefore, a constant contact point for the service provider is beneficial. Every five years, the host organizations check the topicality of all services and may remove outdated services.

Moreover, the accompanying KlimAdapt network supports the further development and practical relevance of the portal as it gives recommendations regarding the content, functionalities and design of the portal. The network consists of 50 members from national and local decision-makers, civil society organizations and the private sector.