Trainees encounter climate change - klimAZUBI

Promoting awareness and competencies for operational climate change in the metropolitan region Rheine-Neckar

Svenja Brockmüller (until 5/2019), Dr. Christina Fiene, Prof. Dr. Alexander Siegmund

Long term maintenance of companies’ economic success requires sustainable adaptation strategies regarding regional- and sector specific consequences of climate change. Markets, production and distribution are particularly affected by extreme events such as persistent heavy rainfall or heat phases. For the implementation of adaptation measures to the progressing climate change at company level, sensitization and formation of awareness are necessary, particularly the sustainable promotion of competencies of employees.

The klimAZUBI- project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Construction and Reactor Safety. Learning modules are developed, evaluated and optimized at the Department of Geography - Research Group for Earth Observation (rgeo) of the Heidelberg University of Education in cooperation with selected companies of the metropolitan region (ABB, HeidelbergCement, REWE) as well as the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Rheine- Neckar. In the sense of a bottom-up education approach, the target group are trainees as they will become the future operational actors and decision-makers. Through practical use in in-company training, the modules combine knowledge acquisition and socially responsible action (service learning), based on an innovative double methodical-didactic triangle.

Conceptual structure of the educational project "klimAZUBI"

Regarding the "natural" environment, this triangle includes (1) identification of consequences of climate change in the terrain, (2) the intensive analysis of individual processes in the laboratory, and (3) evaluation of the sustainability of adaptation measures and options using models and computer simulations. Regarding the “business” environment the triangle includes (1) recognizing branch - specific vulnerability, (2) intense analysis of the specific resilience of individual enterprises as a "test field", and (3) assessment of the sustainability of adaptation measures and options of action using the scenario technique as well as design thinking. These points comprise an integrative elaboration of regional climate impacts on natural resources such as soil, vegetation and water, interlinked with a branch- and company specific view of sustainable adaptation options regarding markets, production and distribution.

The focus lies on a problem analysis from the three perspectives of sustainable development. Instruments for the dissemination and permanent embeddedness of the educational modules are multiplier training courses and workshops for company instructors, the provision of module-specific method boxes as well as the integration of student teachers (peer teaching).

Duration of the project: 4/2016 - 9/2018