02/04/2011 - Top European environmental think tank 2010 is what the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has been classified in an global ranking. In the research area environment it has been placed on the fifth rank worldwide, behind four US-American institutes. The winner is the World Resources Institute in Washingont D.C. The PIK scored slightly better than last year when it was number seven behind six other institutions, all of them from the US. More than 5000 think tanks in different categories participated in this ranking.
The placement is based on criteria like the impact of a think tank's work on societal change and the publications in peer-reviewed journals. Some 1500 experts from the media, donors and the scientific community contributed to the process, according to James McGann from the University of Pennsylvania who is the organizer. A panel of over 250 experts from around the world, across the political spectrum and from every discipline and sector, helped nominate and select public policy research centers of excellence. Having started five years ago, this ranking has become a point of reference in the world of think tanks.
Link to the ranking (results for the environmental sector on page 35)
