2012 — Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Ice loss in the Antarctic: Researchers find calving law

03/21/2012 - The ice of Antartica is in motion. Time and again, massive breaking off of icebergs has been observed – now scientists have for the first time presented a universal physical law for the large-scale disintegration of the ice-shelves. It describes how the speed of the ice plays an important role. The ice-shelves situated in the bays of the Antarctica, where the grounded ice is joined to ice on the ocean, are currently hindering a faster discharge of the ice masses. But the ice-shelves could abruptly change their state, the study by an international team of scientists shows. Big break-offs lead to a much faster discharge of inland ice into the ocean where it melts. Hence, the Antarctica could be contributing comparatively the fastest to global sea-level rise.

Global Sustainability Summer School in Potsdam open for applications

02/14/2012 - Some outstanding international researchers will teach at the Global Sustainability Summer School in Potsdam this year. One major focus will be on risks. Ken Caldeira from Stanford University will provide a paleoclimatic perspective on extreme events, Doyne Farmer from the Santa Fe Institute will cover the theory of complex systems, Elke Weber from Columbia University will talk about uncertainty and human psychology. The summer school is jointly organized by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), in Partnership with the Santa Fe Institute, and sponsored by Robert Bosch Stiftung. Application deadline is March 1st.

Berlinale: „Greening the film industry“

02/07/2012 - The Berlinale international film festival, starting this week, will host a debate on – as the program puts it – “Greening the film industry”. Protagonists of the creative industries “could become pioneers of change if they produce in a climate-friendly way and communicate this,” says Fritz Reusswig from the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research. The debate is part of an initiative of the Climate Media Factory, a joint research project of the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen “Konrad Wolf”, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

PIK ranked amongst top environmental think tanks

01/20/2012 – The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research again has been ranked amongst the top environmental think tanks worldwide. In the 2011 survey now published, it has been placed on the fourth rank – slightly improving from a fifth rank in the year before and a seventh rank in 2009. The winner in this research area is the Pew Center on Global Change in the US. Approximately 5300 think tanks in different categories participated in this ranking.

Green Growth: World Bank appoints Edenhofer as an advisor

01/16/2012 - The World Bank appointed Ottmar Edenhofer of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research as a member of the advisory committee of the Green Growth Knowlegde Platform. This platform is a joint effort of the Global Green Growth Institute, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and World Bank, to identify and address major knowledge gaps in green growth theory and practice. In order to help countries design and implement policies to move towards a green economy, it brings together leading researchers and practitioners from all over the globe. The platform just held its inaugural conference in Mexico City.

New building for 17 million Euro – research project included

01/13/2012 - Climate research in Potsdam gets a new house. Next to the impressing main buildings from the 19th century, a new energetically optimized building for 190 employees and a planned new high-performance computer will be built for the cost of 17 million Euro altogether. The laying of the foundation stone will take place this year. The building is also subject of a research project on energetic optimization, in cooperation with Dresden Technical University.

“New hot paper”: International news agency

01/03/2012 - The leading international news agency Thomson Reuters ranked a study by scientists of the Potsdam Institue for Climate Impact Research as a top “New Hot Paper” this month. “The Economics of Low Stabilization: Model Comparison of Mitigation Strategies and Costs” by Ottmar Edenhofer, Brigitte Knopf and others has been identified as one of the most-cited papers published during the past two years in the field of economics and business.