The UN’s sustainable development goal 13 in Berlin, Germany: towards the implementation of the "sponge city" concept for climate change adaptation and mitigation

Abstract

The battle against climate change is one of the key issues occupying the global agenda today. Adapting to and mitigating climate change are considered key in strategic plans to tackle climate change. In this context, adaptation refers to taking action to adjust and prepare for current and future impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, mitigation refers to preventing and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. This dissertation posits that both terms complement each other as actions geared towards the improvement or deterioration of one strategy affect the other. Many adaptation strategies have been proposed and/or implemented as a means to cope with climate impact. These elements however ignore the component of rainwater as a crucial adaptation strategy which in this dissertation is known as the “Sponge city” concept. This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of Berlin's rainwater adaptation strategy in the face of the increasing threat of climate change. The methodological approach adopted is an analytical framework supported by data from public sources, government and private websites complemented with an interview from the Berlin government personnel Mr. Pearson. The results of this study depicts that Berlin's sponge city implementation is slow but can be improved taking into account the recommendations provided based on the limitations delaying Berlin’s transition. In the end, recommendations are offered on how Berlin could revamp its rainwater management strategies and knowledge shared in this dissertation can also be adapted to other cities.