Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather in Germany, including heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall and floods. These events put critical infrastructure (known in Germany as KRITIS), such as health, transport, energy, water supply and wastewater services, under growing pressure. Failures can spread across sectors, for example when drought strains drinking water supply.

Germany has recently created several overlapping frameworks: the German Resilience Strategy, the KRITIS Umbrella Act (in force since March 2026, implementing the EU Critical Entities Resilience Directive) and the Federal Climate Adaptation Act. The Adaptation Act gives priority to nature-based solutions, which use natural processes such as green and blue infrastructure to reduce climate risks. These frameworks are not always aligned. Responsibilities are often unclear, key terms such as protection goals lack shared definitions, and municipalities act both as operators and as protectors of critical infrastructure.

The project supports the German Environment Agency (UBA) in developing an integrated process framework for the climate resilience of critical infrastructure that matters at municipal and regional level. It is designed as a practical guide, developed together with selected model municipalities. It will identify gaps between policy areas, propose ways to define protection goals and levels, and recommend governance structures across federal, state and local levels. The work follows a transdisciplinary approach, in which authorities, operators, municipalities and researchers act as co-producers of knowledge rather than only as consultees.

The work is organised into four work packages:

• Process design and guide (WP1): Reviews the legal and strategic framework and develops a practical guide for integrating climate resilience into the management of critical infrastructure, tested with model municipalities.
• Multi-level governance (WP2, led by Ecologic Institute): Develops recommendations on how climate adaptation and critical infrastructure protection can work together from federal to local level, drawing on international best practice and participatory workshops.
• Expert conference (WP3, led by Ecologic Institute): Presents and discusses the results with a wider professional audience, including other research projects and lessons from the 2026 national crisis management exercise LÜKEX.
• Project management (WP4, led by Ecologic Institute): Ensures coordination, reporting and communication.

Ecologic Institute's role

Ecologic Institute leads the project in a consortium with Rebel Deutschland GmbH and the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). Its responsibilities are:

• Overall project lead: holds overall responsibility, including project management and quality control
• Leadership of WP2, WP3 and WP4: multi-level governance recommendations, the expert conference and project management, including reporting and communication
• Contribution to WP1: leads the review of the legal and strategic framework and the development of policy papers
• Workshops and events: its events team runs the online workshops and organises the conference

Rebel Deutschland leads WP1. UNU-EHS supports all work packages and leads the international best-practice review.