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2010

Survey: citizens want Germany to take a lead in climate protection

12/17/2010 - Citizens want the German government to take the lead in international climate protection. Close to 61 percent of the interviewees said so in a representative survey now published by the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). “People support an active role of the federal government in climate issues, and they do this stronger than they did in the past,” says Fritz Reusswig of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). He was responsible for the conceptual design and analysis of the 100-page-survey’s parts regarding climate. In 2008, he points out, just 50 percent wanted to see Germany acting as a pioneer of climate protection. A more detailed report of the findings will be released early next year.

Scientists discussed their work at the annual PIK Research Days

12/17/2010 - While climate change continues and climate policy continues to labour, “tremendous challenges” are ahead for the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, its director Hans Joachim Schellnhuber said at the PIK Research Days. More than 250 scientists and staff members had gathered for this annual event of two days to discuss their work. Findings of PIK scientists have been taken up by decision-makers, Schellnuber said. One example for this has been the result on the magnitude of the CO2-emission-budget that is left if the limit of two degrees Celsius global warming should not be transgressed. “Just continue to do good science,” Schellnhuber told his colleagues.

Cancún summit gives just breathing time

12/13/2010 - The climate summit of Cancún is over – its outcome got mixed reviews. “The patient ‘World Climate Aggreement’ has been kept alive, but no real therapy has been agreed upon”, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Studies (PIK), told the leading German press agency dpa.“I am happy that trust in the negotiation process has been rebuilt”, he said, referring to the much debated outcome of the previous summit in Copenhagen. But the result of Cancún, he said, gives just some breathing time. “All substantial issues have been postponed to 2011.”

PIK-scientist Levermann speaks to G77 and China at the United Nations

11/15/2010 – On 15 November PIK scientist Anders Levermann will deliver a speech in front of the UN Embassadors of the G77 States and China in New York. The subject of his speech will be climate change and the expected global sea level rise related to that. He was invited by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations.

Scientists outline framework for new socioeconomic scenarios for exploring climate change impacts and responses

11/05/2010 - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is facilitating the further development of socioeconomic scenarios, portraits of possible social and economic futures, by the scientific community. In a three-day workshop in Berlin that concluded on Wednesday, experts in climate change impacts, adaptation, vulnerabilities, and mitigation discussed strategies for increasing the policy relevance of studies that will be assessed in the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) to be published in 2014.

PIK receives award for gender equality

11/04/2010 – The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) received the "Total E-Quality" Award for a successful commitment to equal opportunities for women and men at the workplace on Thursday in Erfurt. The jury of the association honored the gender equality policies of PIK. Overall, 60 organizations from the public, scientific or business sector received an award for gender equality.

Pakistan seeks cooperation with PIK

10/21/2010 – Pakistan which was struck by severe flooding this summer seeks scientific and technical cooperation from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). On this occasion, the country’s government has invited Jürgen Kropp, head of the North-South Research Group at PIK, for a two-day International Conference on Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Islamabad. Kropp will be one of the keynote speakers at the conference which starts on 21 October. In the conference’s concluding session, he will provide the government with a summary of the proceedings.

What is needed to stay below a 2°C global temperature rise?

10/04/2010 - A new Information Reference Document “Scientific Perspectives after Copenhagen”, commissioned by the EU’s Climate Change Expert Group ‘Science’ (EGSci) , addresses key scientific and technical issues relevant to the international efforts to reach the 2°C target. This document includes an assessment of the overall emission reduction pledges under the Copenhagen Accord. The document has been released during a side event at the intersessional UNFCCC climate conference in Tianjin (China).

Edenhofer assigned member of the topic group "Climate, Energy and Environment" of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

09/08/2010 - Ottmar Edenhofer, deputy director and chief economist of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), has been invited to become a member of the topic group "Climate, Energy and Environment" of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. The president of the Leopoldina Jörg Hacker hopes that the topic groups will provide useful stimuli for the Academy's activities in advising policy makers and the public.

Edenhofer welcomes the InterAcademy Council’s reform recommendations to the IPCC

08/31/2010 - On Monday, the InterAcademy Council has released its report “Climate Change Assessments - Review of the Processes and Procedures of the IPCC”. The review committee states that the process to produce the periodic assessment reports has been “successful overall”. However, it recommends fundamentally reforming the IPCC management structure and strengthening its procedures.

Schellnhuber directs topic group of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

08/16/2010 - The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina strengthens its consulting activities for policymakers and the public by setting up topic groups. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), has been appointed spokesman of the topic group “Climate, Energy and Environment”.

Climate Action Tracker Update: No major movement towards lowering emissions before the UN climate talks in Bonn

07/29/2010 – Three days before the start of the next round of UN negotiations on climate change in Bonn, actions pledged globally on reductions of greenhouse gas emissions give virtually no chance to limit global mean temperature increase to below two degrees Celsius. That is the result of the latest analysis by the so-called ‘Climate Action Tracker’, an online climate policy assessment system developed by Ecofys, Climate Analytics and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

Young scientist wins Study Award in Physics

07/09/2010 – Young PIK-scientist Jonathan Donges was honoured with the Study Award in Physics donated by the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation in Berlin yesterday. He received the award for his outstanding academic achievement during his diploma studies. The award, offered by the Physical Society of Berlin, is given to the top ten diploma students of each year of Berlin and Potsdam.

"Hot" topic: What emissions reductions are necessary to respect 2°C climate target?

07/05/2010 – The article “Greenhouse-gas emission targets for limiting global warming to 2C”, lead authored by PIK-scientist Malte Meinshausen, is one of the most-cited papers in the discipline of Geosciences published during the past two years. The study appeared in the renowned journal Nature. The paper quantified for the first time the emissions reduction requirements for staying below two degrees celsius.

Elinor Ostrom: "It would be unwise to wait for politics"

07/01/2010 – Around 1300 listeners attended the 2nd Climate Lecture at the Technische Universität (TU) Berlin. A TV recording of the event is now available online.

Climate Action Tracker Update: Little progress - Countries still heading for over 3ºC warming

06/10/2010 - Despite recent developments, actions pledged globally to date on reductions of greenhouse gas emissions give virtually no chance to limit global mean temperature increase to below two degrees Celsius.

Greater than 50% chance of global warming exceeding 3°C by 2100

06/02/2010 - Research results to be launched today at the UNFCCC meeting in Bonn by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Ecofys and Climate Analytics will show that current pledges by countries around the world to cut greenhouse gas emissions are not sufficient to keep global temperature rises below the 2°C agreed in the Copenhagen Accord.

Editorial on Tipping Elements online-hit of PNAS

04/20/2010 – An article in the renowned journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS) by Hans Joachim Schellnhuber regarding Tipping elements in the Earth System was one of the 30 most read online papers in January and February 2010.

Schellnhuber joins Santa Fe Institute

03/08/2010 - Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), has been appointed to the position of External Professor of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI). The election to the external faculty recognizes Schellnhubers “many contributions to science and the SFI research effort”. At the US institution a transdisciplinary research community, working in the field of complexity science, investigates physical, computational, biological, and social systems. The term of the appointment is January 2010 through June 2013.

Erhard-Höpfner-Foundation honours PIK-scientist

03/02/2010 - Marianne Haseloff of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research has been selected for the Erhard-Höpfner-Award. With the award, the Erhard Höpfner Foundation and the Berliner Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft honour her diploma thesis as an outstanding achievement. The award ceremony will be held today during the members’ assembly of the Berliner Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft.