Businesses are not only involved in causing climate change, they can also be adversely affected by it, and they can help solve the problem. The consequences of climate change can have negative impacts on businesses and their value chains around the world: For example, transportation routes to customers and suppliers may be disrupted because of flooding, which may result in massive delays along the value chain. Another example: the increased incidence of heat waves may drive up the use of air conditioning for cooling, and thus primary energy consumption in the summer, which in turn may result in problems supplying cooling water to power plants and cause power outages.

Businesses and other stakeholders in the economy, such as trade associations and chambers of commerce, must prepare for these and other risks due to climate change. At the same time, climate change risks also offer opportunities that businesses can exploit profitably.

Activating of the capacity for entrepreneurial innovation as a factor for the success of regional climate adaptation

Accordingly, strategies should be developed in order to adapt to the new and constantly changing climate conditions. Entrepreneurial creativity and innovative capacity as well as supporting activities by economic development organizations, trade associations, and chambers of commerce all have the potential to launch and develop new solutions for climate adaptation.

Combining innovations and climate change

This linkage of climate adaptation, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the regional level provides the framework for the Network for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Times of Climate Change (NIK).
NIK's goal is to cooperate with regional actors in identifying innovative solutions for adapting to the consequences of climate change and supporting ideas for start-ups. The focus of the work is on expanding existing innovation centers and business incubators by adding consulting services concerning climate change and adaptation.

• Through consultancy and by holding workshops, NIK identifies, stimulates, and supports existing businesses and start-ups with innovative solutions for adapting to the consequences of climate change.
• NIK is actively involved in the regional structures of the Metropolitan Region and is pursuing the establishment of effective cooperation with regional actors supporting innovation, start-ups, and economic development as well as political actors at the Land and regional levels.
• NIK complements existing innovation and start-up consulting services in the Metropolitan Region Bremen-Oldenburg by providing consultation to start-ups and supporting innovation by means of a climate adaptation competition and annual innovation reports for climate adaptation.

The network directly utilizes research findings from NorthWest 2050 (www.nordwest2050.de) and secures access to information and consultation concerning opportunities and risks of climate change for businesses, start-ups, chambers of commerce, and trade associations above and beyond NorthWest 2050.

NIK is supported by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and co-financed by the Metropolitan Region Bremen-Oldenburg in the Northwest e.V. as well as the city of Oldenburg. It is a collaboration of the Adjunct Professorship in Innovation Management and Sustainability, the Chair for Entrepreneurship and Corporate Environmental Policy, and the Endowed Chair Entrepreneurship, and it cooperates closely with regional partners such as the Intermunicipal Coordination Center Climate Adaptation of the Metropolitan Region Northwest e.V.

Futher information on project website: www.n-i-k.net

Report: Technologies and services for climate mitigation and adaptation from Germany (Download)