Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS) was created by the German Federal Government under the high-tech strategy for climate protection and became a scientific organisational unit of Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in June 2014. Located in the historic Chilehaus in Hamburg, GERICS employs an interdisciplinary team of over 80 natural scientists, socio-economists, and practitioners.
GERICS provides scientifically rigorous prototype products, advisory services and decision-relevant information to support public administration, government and businesses adapting to climate change. Its current activities focus on adaptation in the sectors of water, energy, ecosystems and cities. The organisation functions as a think-tank, responding to practical questions such as urban rainwater management, climate-adapted city planning, and resilience in supply chains.
GERICS develops a wide range of tools and resources. These include fact-sheets, toolkits, maps and visualisations, training programs, web portals and national climate assessments. One notable product is the “Klimaausblicke” (climate outlooks)—highly detailed regional projections for 401 German counties, districts or cities, across 17 climate parameters such as temperature, heat days, dry days, wind speed and heavy rainfall, under different climate protection scenarios.
GERICS is embedded within Helmholtz’s “Changing Earth – Sustaining our Future” programme (PoF IV) and contributes predominantly to Topic 4: Coastal Transition Zones under Natural and Human Pressures, while also engaging in Topic 1 (Atmosphere in Global Change) and Topic 5 (Landscapes of the Future).
While GERICS primarily supports adaptation rather than finance, its outputs—particularly regional climate outlooks and scenario-based tools—are valuable in informing sustainable finance, risk assessment, resilience planning and strategic investments.
