What is the first thing that comes to mind for most people in this country when they hear about climate change?

It is likely that climate-damaging emissions will have to be reduced, such as phasing out coal, electric cars and the like.

Behind this is above all the desire and will to be able to continue living with such changes as before.

But reducing the climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions is far from enough.

Adaptation measures are needed and people have to say goodbye to lifestyle habits.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will present a new report on February 28th.

It deals with the consequences of climate change for nature and humans and the adjustments that are necessary to keep life on this planet more or less in balance.

Of course, greenhouse gases must be reduced, emphasizes science.

"But it can't just be about all driving electric cars in the future and otherwise continuing to live as before," says Tabea Lissner, co-head of the Climate Analytics science team in Potsdam.

Almut Arneth, climate researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), says: "If we only rely on mitigating the drivers of climate change, with measures that require large areas of land, we have problems with nature conservation."

Risk of flooding increases significantly

So there is no way around making adjustments.

In Germany, the floods in the Ahr and Erft region in July 2021 made climate change real.

More than 180 people died there after heavy rain, which according to studies would not have been of this intensity without man-made climate change.

If more climate protection is not pursued, the annual damage caused by flooding on rivers in Germany will increase by 72 percent according to model calculations if politics remain the same, says Lissner.

Adaptation means: It is not enough with small protective walls in particularly exposed places.

"You have to look at the entire water system and the interaction of all factors," says Lissner.

In general, depending on the region and location, it may be necessary to remove straightening and restore original riverbeds, to open up soil sealed by roads or buildings and to create areas where floodwaters can seep away.

Some areas could simply no longer be used in the future as before.

Island states are in a particular dilemma, says Lissner.

Due to more frequent storms, huts and houses are repeatedly destroyed.

Countries would have little resources to build better houses to break out of this vicious cycle.

"Climate financing is an important component of adaptation," she says.

Rich countries have built their wealth on climate-damaging emissions and are historically responsible for most of climate change.

In 2009 they promised to make 100 billion dollars available for this every year by 2020 at the latest, but they didn't keep that promise.

Alternatives can also be harmful

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change also wants to make it clearer than before how closely climate protection and nature conservation are linked.

"Climate protection measures can be bad for species protection, but species protection does not actually hurt the climate," says Arneth.

Take biofuel as an example: If instead of emission-intensive petrol, fuel made from plant-based raw materials is to be used and huge rapeseed fields or palm oil plantations are planted, biodiversity will dwindle.

The absorption of climate-damaging CO2 can even be reduced if tropical rainforests are cleared for plantations - such as in Indonesia.

According to a UN report, average biodiversity in rural habitats has declined by at least 20 percent, mostly over the past 120 years.

A million species are threatened with extinction, more than at any time in human history.

Species protection also means preserving natural landscapes that contribute to mitigating the drivers of climate change.

Forest example: The restoration of near-natural forests is considered an adaptation measure to climate change with many positive effects.

"They absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, they create habitat for species, they regulate the runoff of rainwater, they offer a cool ecosystem for animals and humans, and thus also space for relaxation," says Arneth.

The snag is the competition of forested areas with areas necessary for food production.

It is therefore clear to the climate experts that adaptation also means a change in one's own way of life.

"Per capita consumption in Western countries is too high," says Arneth.

"We don't all have to become vegan, walk around in jute sacks and don't heat the apartment, but we can take a look at our own noses." Almost 60 percent of agricultural land worldwide is used for meat production.

"How do I convince the Germans that they might eat only twice a week instead of meat every day?"