In Europe and in Germany, climate change will bring about additional environmental risks against which precautionary measures will have to be taken. Against this backdrop, it is analyzed whether existing environmental and planning laws are providing for sufficient precautionary action or in how far they ought to be adapted to the impacts of climate change. The first part of the study explores the strategic challenges and basic constitutional conditions of such regulatory adaptation. The second part then focuses on those fields of environmental and planning law that are probably most affected by the impacts of climate change, i.e., flood protection, coastal protection, water quality, water availability, soil protection, plant safety, spatial planning, environmental impact assessment and monitoring.