2009 — Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Model Climate Summit in Potsdam: Students negotiate World Climate Treaty

11/18/2009 - Three weeks before the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen fifty students take over the role of heads of states of the key players among both developing and developed countries. During a one-day simulated UN Climate Summit “Model-COP15” they try to negotiate a realistic but still innovative suggestion of a post-Kyoto Climate treaty.

Schellnhuber briefs UN on Tipping Elements and Budget Approach

11/05/2009 - “The window of opportunity to avert the most serious impacts of climate change is closing rapidly,” Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and chair of the German government’s Advisory Council on Global Change, said at a briefing session at UN headquarters in New York today. The session was organized by the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Young Researchers Prize of Brandenburg 2009 goes to PIK scientist Malte Meinshausen

10/30/2009 - PIK scientist Malte Meinshausen has been awarded the Young Researchers Prize 2009 by the Brandenburg Ministry of Science in Potsdam. The price recognizes outstanding scientific performances of young scientists in the German Province of Brandenburg. The team of researchers led by Meinshausen had quantified, for the first time, in a comprehensive manner the emissions reduction requirements for staying below 2°C with a certain probability.

PIK congratulates Lord Stern on granting of Honorary Doctorate

10/26/2009 - Lord Nicholas Stern receives an Honorary Doctorate of the TU Berlin. The award ceremony will be held on November 4th at the TU Berlin on the occasion of the first “Climate Lecture”.

Renewable energies experts meet in Oslo

09/04/2009 - Preceding the second lead author meeting of the IPCC’s Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation in Oslo this week, bottom-up und top-down approaches to the deployment of renewable energy technologies were discussed. The results of the Expert Meeting on Modeling Renewable Energies will feed into the Special Report and also the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report.

Study on modelling climate policy received „2008 Best Paper Award“

08/28/2009 - A study published in "Environmental Modelling and Software" on a novel method of modelling climate change policy has been awarded the "2008 Best Paper Award" in the category "Decision Support" by the journal's editors.

International Conference “Continents under Climate Change” goes on-line

08/03/2009 – On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin the international conference “Continents under Climate Change” will be held next year from April 21st to 23rd in Berlin. The participants will discuss the current state of knowledge of climate change and its risks for nature and humans on a continental scale. The conference website now opened provides an overview of the scientific programme.

Prince Charles discusses with scientists at PIK

04/30/2009 – Prince Charles visited the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) today. Following a short tour of the Einstein Tower, the heir to the British throne attended a scientific workshop on Climate Change and the Rainforests at the Potsdam Institute. Together with leading PIK scientists and further experts he discussed, among other aspects, the role of rainforest protection in international climate policy.

Study on the impacts of climate change on Berlin

04/01/2009 - The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has prepared a study on Climate Impacts on Berlin, commissioned by the Senate Department for Urban Development, Berlin. It aims at improving the basis of decision-making for adaptation measures in order to manage and cope with unavoidable climate impacts. The study called "Climate Change and Cultivated Landscapes in Berlin" was presented in Berlin today.

Public debate between Hans-Werner Sinn and Ottmar Edenhofer on "The Green Paradox" - options for a realistic climate policy

03/18/2009 - Ottmar Edenhofer, deputy director and chief economist of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and Hans-Werner Sinn, president of the Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich (ifo), had a public debate about options for a realistic international climate policy. The discussion referred to Sinn's latest theses about an illusion-free climate policy, and took place in front of an audience of more than 300 people in Munich last Monday.

IPCC-authors discuss role of renewable energies

01/30/2009 - The authors of a Special Report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are currently holding their first meeting in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The Special Report investigates the role of renewable energy sources in international climate policy and is to be published in the second half of 2010.