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PIK in the Media (Link collection)

"Climate summit coming: What you need to know"

In advance of the 21st UN Climate Conference in December, Daniel Klingenfeld summarizes: "We should not be gambling with the planet – for our own sake." He is the head of director's staff at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and explains the concept of climate tipping points, possible consequences of an ongoing global warming and cites the success of the fossil fuel divestment movement. Source: CNBC (USA), 01.10.2015.

"Meet John Schellnhuber"

PIK-director John Schellnhuber was one of the pope's main advisors for his encyclical on environment and climate change, which was released in June. In the forefront of the UN Climate Conference in December, Professor Schellnhuber talks about the state of affairs in climate reserach and climate politics, climate scepticism, and whether democracy can solve the current environmental crisis. Source: ABC Australia, 25.09.2015.

"A surprisingly cold ‘blob’ in the North Atlantic Ocean"

In Spring 2015, a PIK-study proved: the Gulf Stream is slowing down - in correlation to Climate Change. Among other influencing factors, a cooling North Atlantic Ocean due to Greenland ice melt was stated to be the driving force. Given that 2015 will probably have been the hottest year on reords, PIK-scientist Stefan Rahmstorf explains the mechanisms behind this trend. Source: The Washington Post, 24.09.2015.

"There is sufficient Fossil Fuel to melt all of Antarctica"

A new PIK-study states: if all reserves of coal, oil and gas were burned, the entire Antarctic ice sheet would melt, rising the sea level by over 50 meters. "This would not happen overnight, but the mind-boggling point is that our actions today are changing the face of planet Earth as we know it," concludes PIK-scientist Ricarda Winkelmann, who was the leader of the research team. Source: South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), 13.09.2015.

"A Worst-Case Scenario of Climate Change"

"Burning the currently attainable fossil fuel resources is sufficient to eliminate the (Antarctic) ice sheet,", resumes a new PIK-study by an international research team led by PIK-scientist Ricarda Winkelmann. But even if we would just continue our current emissions for another 60 to 80 years, the West Antarctic ice sheet could become instable. Source: The Japan Times, 12.09.2015.

"Antarctica Ice Melt if All Fossil Fuels Are Burned"

"To be blunt: If we burn it all, we melt it all," resumes PIK-scientist Ricarda Winkelmann, who led an international research team that explored the consequences of continuing massive fossil fuel burn for the Antarctic ice sheet. As a result, the sea level rise could speed up to approximately one foot per decade in the next millenia. Source: The New York Times (USA), 11.09.2015.

"Brûler toutes les énergies fossiles ferait fondre toutes les glaces antarctiques"

The burning of all available fossil fuels could lead to a complete melting of the Antarctic ice sheet, as a new study by a research team led by PIK-scientist Ricarda Winkelmann shows. The long-term destabilization can only be avoided, if we do not miss the Two Degree Target. Text in French, Source: La Presse (Canada), 11.09.2015.

"We will have burned Everything in about 150 Years"

All accesible fossil fuel reserves could be burned in about 150 years, if we continue to increase our emissions by the same amount as in the past, states PIK-scientist Anders Levermann. He was part of an international research team that shortly found that this complete fossil fuel burning would lead to a loss of the entire Antarctic ice sheet, rising the sea level in a critical extent. Source: The Independent (UK), 11.09.2015.

"International Efforts Won’t Be Enough"

In advance of the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris upcoming December, the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) examines the pledges for greenhouse gas reduction of the different countries. The CAT is run by several research institutes, including the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. PIK-scientist Louise Jeffery comments on the interim results. Source: The Washington Post (USA), 02.09.2015.

"Sucking CO2 would not halt Warming Effects"

In a recent study, PIK-scientist Sabine Mathesius and her team modeled the long-term effects of massive geoengineering to remove CO2 from the air. While the atmospheric carbon dioxide levels would decrease, the CO2-caused ocean acidification would remain on dangerous levels for a long-time - due to seawater circulations. Source: Scientific American (USA), 12.08.2015.

"The Chemical Echo of this century's CO₂ Pollution"

Due to long-term ocean circulations, future artificial removal of even massive amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere will not reverse the CO2-caused ocean acidification for centuries. PIK-scientist Sabine Mathesius and PIK-director Hans Joachim Schellnhuber explain the deep ocean 'memory' and why emissions reductions have immediately to be implemented. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), 06.08.2015.

"La technologie ne sauvera pas les océans"

If the CO2 emissions are not going to be reduced, the capture of the greenhouse gas through geoengineering technologies will not be able to prevent the dangerous acidification of the oceans. PIK-scientist Sabine Mathesius and PIK-director Hans Joachim Schellnhuber comment on the results of a new PIK-study about the topic. Text in French. Source: Paris Match (France), 06.08.2015.

"If the Rhythm gets disturbed"

Many systems rely on tiny movements in a certain rhythm, PIK-scientist Jürgen Kurths explains. If these oscillations are disturbed, the consequences can be fatal - a blackout in a power grid or even death of the human heart. An international team of scientists developed a new mathematical approach to restore rhythm. Source: Frontline (India), 05.08.2015.

"It wouldn’t be enough to save the Oceans"

Beneath the rapid warming, CO2 emissions cause an ocean acidification at an unprecedented rate. A new PIK-study states: even with artificial CO2 removal, the oceans will become dangerously acidified - if we do business-as-usual. PIK-scientist Sabine Mathesius and PIK-director Hans Joachim Schellnhuber explain the current results. Source: The Guardian (UK), 03.08.2015.

"We have to take the Right Decisions"

In advance of the UN Climate Conference in Paris 2015, PIK's chief economist Ottmar Edenhofer speaks about the state of affairs in Climate Protection, about scenarios, opportunities and perspectives for the future. Which tools does mankind have available, what are the current issues of Climate Policy? Source: The Carbon Brief (UK), 17.07.2015.

"We could avoid the Greenland tipping point"

"Climate tipping points are points of no return, where you cannot stop a process that has been set in motion", explains PIK-scientist Stefan Rahmstorf. How a strong agreement at the UN Climate Conference in Paris end of the year could help avoid passing one more of these points. Source: Deutsche Welle, 17.07.2015.

"There will be no Mini Ice Age"

In the last weeks, there have been rumours about a supposed 'mini Ice Age' the earth was heading to, due to solar variations in the next decades. But already in 2011, a PIK study showed: compared to the expected global warming through greenhouse gas emissions, this effect will be marginal. PIK-scientist Georg Feulner argues against the 'mini Ice Age' rumours. Source: The Washington Post (USA), 14.07.2015.

"We need to have something really disruptive"

In advance of December's UN Climate Conference, more than 2000 scientists met in Paris to discuss 'our common future under Climate Change'. As one of the world's most influential Climate Scientists, PIK-director John Schellnhuber advertised the divestment campaign and emphasized the necessity of a global social movement to avoid dangerous global warming. Source: The Guardian (UK), 13.07.2015.

"Sea-level rise due to polar ice-sheet mass loss"

In a new study, a large research team compared the sea-level rise due to polar ice-sheet mass loss during past warm periods. PIK-scientist Stefan Rahmstorf was part of the team and concludes, that the mid-Pliocene is a matching analogy for where we could be headed: even with a 1-2°C higher temperature than today, a 6 meter sea level rise could be the result. Source: The Washington Post (USA), 09.07.2015.

"Record-breaking Rainfalls and Global Warming"

The number of record-breaking rainfalls increases worldwide - related to global warming. A team of PIK-scientists around Jascha Lehmann figured out an innovative method and found out, that at least every tenth rainfall record of the last thirty years stands in direct correlation with climate change. Source: The International Business Times (USA), 09.07.2015.