News

RD 2 - Climate Resilience

Honorary degree for Professor Zbigniew Kundzewicz

30/11/2018 - Professor Zbigniew Kundzewicz was distinguished with the honorary degree of 'doctor honoris causa' by the Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW)
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Record-wet and record-dry months increased in regions worldwide: climate change drives rainfall extremes

12.12.2018 - More and more rainfall extremes are observed in regions around the globe – triggering both wet and dry records, a new study shows. Yet there are big differences between regions: The central and Eastern US, northern Europe and northern Asia have experienced heavy rainfall events that have led to severe floods in recent past. In contrast, most African regions have seen an increased frequency of months with a lack of rain. The study is the first to systematically analyze and quantify changes in record-breaking monthly rainfall events from all over the globe, based on data from roughly 50,000 weather stations worldwide. Climate change from fossil fuel greenhouse gases has long been expected to disturb rainfall patterns.
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New York Times interviews Hagen Koch and other experts on Rhine level

04/11/2018 - The prominent American newspaper New York Times features an article on the low level of the Rhine and the problematic consequences for the German economy
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Ten PIK researchers among the most influential scientists in the world

29/11/2018 - Ten scientists, coming from different research domains from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) are among the most highly cited researchers worldwide, according to a new ranking just published. Therewith, they are among the most influential scientifists in the world, their studies among the top 1% of scientific literature. Whether natural sciences or social sciences, PIK is one of the most renowned research institutions in Germany and worldwide, as the now published ranking once again shows.
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Keynote speech by Dr. Reyer on climate change impacts and resilience thinking in forest management

23/10/2018 - Dr. Christopher Reyer of RD2 gave a keynote speech at the conference "Addressing Ecological and Social Challenges for Forests and Forest Management" in Kiew on the 23rd of October 2018
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Sustainable and healthy food to feed the world in 2050: Nature study

10/10/2018 - “Feeding a world population of 10 billion people is possible - yet only if we change the way we eat, and the way we produce food, our research shows. Greening the food sector or eating up our planet: this is what is on the menu today,” says Johan Rockström, Director Designate of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. He’s one of the authors of a new study now published by an international team of scientists in the journal Nature.
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Delegation der Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung (RLS) am PIK

20/09/2018 - Im Rahmen einer internen Fortbildung über Klimagerechtigkeit und Politikberatung diskutierten ca. 30 Personen der Rosa-Luxemburg-Stifung mit Jürgen Kropp und weiteren PIK Wissenschaftlern.
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"Warning Signal: Extreme Events"

11/09/2018 - The book "Warning signal: extreme events" with contributions from more than a hundred researchers will be presented this week at a major symposium at the University of Hamburg, Germany. From heat waves and droughts but also heavy rain and floods to tropical cyclones: the risks are increasing globally. The new publication as well as the event are intended to present the topic to a broader public.
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Interview Potsdam TV

27/06/2018 - In einem Interview mit Potsdam TV erklärt RD2-Wissenschaftler Benjamin Leon Bodirsky, dass man Nutztiere statt mit Sojabohnen auch mit Bakterien füttern könnte.
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Summer of extremes - PIK experts in the media

07/26/2018 - Everybody seems to be talking about the weather these days, with extreme heat in Germany and Europe, forest fires in Sweden, Greece and California. From Japan to the Arctic - the Northern hemisphere is currently experiencing a heat wave and experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research (PIK) were interviewed by numerous media outlets for an assessment of the current situation in the light of climate change.
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New Report “The World in 2050”: Sustainable development experts meet in New York

07/10/2018 - From education and health to responsible consumption, a decarbonized energy-system, agriculture, sustainable cities and digitalization - six transformations are necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations, a new report by leading experts in the field finds. Published at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York this week, the new report prepared by The World in 2050 (TWI2050) initiative outlines the key points that are necessary to bring the world on target to a sustainable future. More than 60 authors and 20 organizations were involved in the report, among them Johan Rockström, current Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and designated Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), as well as PIK researchers Elmar Kriegler, Hermann Lotze-Campen and Alexander Popp.
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Spacefood for cows: Industrial microbes could feed cattle, pigs and chicken with less damage to the environment

06/20/2018 - Deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, nitrogen pollution – today’s agricultural feed cultivation for cattle, pigs and chicken comes with tremendous impacts for the environment and climate. Cultivating feed in industrial facilities instead of on croplands might help to alleviate the critical implications in the agricultural food supply chain. Protein-rich microbes, produced in large-scale industrial facilities, are likely to increasingly replace traditional crop-based feed. A new study now published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology for the first time estimates the economic and environmental potential of feeding microbial protein to pigs, cattle and chicken on a global scale. The researchers find that by replacing only 2 percent of livestock feed by protein-rich microbes, more than 5 percent of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, global cropland area and global nitrogen losses could each be decreased.
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Happy anniversary MAgPIE!

14/06/2018 - Exactly 10 year ago today, "Agricultural Economics" accepted the first MAgPIE paper. Since then, at least 50 papers with MAgPIE involvement were published in different scientific journals. Something to be proud of!
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PIKturing our future: The young scientists’ visions for the institute

06/05/2018 - Once a year, the doctoral candidates of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) gather to discuss their research and exchange ideas. This year’s "PhD day" aimed at giving young scientists the possibility to think about and discuss their visions, wishes and ideas for the future of the institute. What do young scientists need to be able to perform excellent science? In what areas do they need more support and in what way? How can they interact with society during their work?
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Experts meet at Global Solutions Summit in Berlin

06/05/2018 - More than 1100 policy thinkers and policy leaders from all around the world came together recently at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin to discuss crucial topics for global governance in the context of the next G20 summits in Argentina and Japan. Official delegates from the T20 Argentina and the T20 Japan, Nobel Laureates and high level speakers like German Chancellor Angela Merkel participated in the Berlin Summit of think tanks, policy makers, business leaders and NGOs.
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Best paper in Ecohydrology journal in 2017 co-written by RD-colleagues

14/05/2018 - The paper "Responses of fish and invertebrates to floods and droughts in Europe" by Dr. Mikolaj Piniewski et al. received the Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe Publication Award for the best paper published in the Ecohydrology journal in 2017.
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Congratulations, Dr. Lobanova!

17/05/2018 - Anastasia Lobanova successfully defended her PhD thesis entitled "The assessment of hydrological impacts of climate change and their impolications for water management across scales: from the local to European scale" at the Technical University of Berlin.
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PIK experts at the intersessional climate conference in Bonn

11/05/2018 - In the run-up to this year´s UN climate conference in Katowice in Poland, about 3000 experts and observers met in Bonn to discuss how to implement the Paris Agreement which is to enter into force in 2020. Two key elements of these “intersessionals” were the progress in advancing the Paris Agreement “rulebook”, and the initial in-person phase of the Talanoa dialogue that was introduced at COP23 last year. Several scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) took part in various meetings and presentations in Bonn.
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Early Summer Monsoon forecast for India

05/07/2018 - the Indian Summer Monsoon will likely reach Central India between 11 and 19 June, according to the new forecast method developed at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The unique forecast had been developed specially for the central part of India where, before, early forecasting has never been made. The novel approach based on an analysis of observational data allows predicting the monsoon onset date 40 days in advance. Elena Surovyatkina leads the forecasts that showed to be successful already two years in a row. The monsoon onset date is of crucial importance for hundreds of millions of people in India. Climate change affects monsoon variability and hence makes accurate forecasting even more important.
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Young diplomats from small island developing states visit PIK

04/05/2018 - Climate change is climbing up the foreign policy and international security agendas, as stakeholders realize the risks it may pose to peace and stability. In Germany, both the ministry of defence and the foreign ministry (Auswärtiges Amt) have recently sought the advice of PIK scientists as they develop crisis prevention policies and tools. Now, a group of young diplomats from small island developing states (SIDS) is visiting PIK as part of a month-long stay in Germany organized by the foreign ministry. As these countries are among the most exposed and vulnerable to climate change impacts, their future international representatives seek training on the latest climate change knowledge, and at the same time wish to spread awareness of the social and political problems their countries face in a warming world.
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PIK Article in Top 100 Scientific Reports from Earth Science papers in 2017

27/04/2018 - The article ‘The role of city size and urban form in the surface urban heat island’ by Bin Zhou, Diego Rybski and Jürgen Kropp, ranks one of the top 100 read Earth sciences papers for 'Scientific Reports' in 2017.
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Girls'Day: PIK opens up doors and new perspectives to young and female future scientists

26/04/2018 - At this year's Girls'Day, schoolgirls from Berlin and Brandenburg had once again the opportunity to get to know the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and career perspectives in science. About their research on climate change and their work as a researcher at PIK, Levke Caesar and Christina Roolfs reported to the 19 pupils participating. The action day was initiated to open up new career perspectives in mathematical and the natural sciences for girls and young women.
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More than 14.000 Earth scientists meet in Vienna

06/04/2018 - The European Geophysical Union’s (EGU) general assembly in Vienna is one of the world's greatest scientific events – from 8 to 13 April, it attracts more than 14.000 scientists. Numerous experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) give talks and participate in debates. A distinguished role is attributed to Stefan Rahmstorf, co-chair of PIK’s Earth System Analysis department, research domain 1. He has been asked to hold the first-ever EGU public lecture at the Vienna Museum for Natural History: “After Paris: Can we still control the climate crisis?”
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CIREG Project Kick-Off

02/03/2018 - The CIREG kick-off meeting was hosted at PIK end of February 2018. CIREG is a JPI Climate ERA4CS project on 'Climate Information to support Renewable Electricity Generation in West Africa' and is coordinated by RD2 colleagues Stefan Liersch, Hagen Koch and Fred Hattermann.
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Worldbank report with PIK: climate change can trigger migration of millions

19/03/2018 - Climate change is a driver of future migration – in a worst-case scenario, it could force more than 100 million people out of their homes by 2050. This is shown by a groundbreaking Worldbank report, co-authored by scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Subsaharan Africa and Southern Asia are among the most affected regions, to a lesser extent also Latin America. Water scarcity and yield failures are, along with a number of other economical and social factors, becoming more and more relevant for migration within countries. This so-called internal migration is the subject of the report. However, rapid reductions of greenhouse-gas emissions can reduce this future migration by up to 80 percent, according to the report.
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Congratulations Dr. Michel Wortmann

26/01/2018 - Michel Wortmann successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled 'Integrating glacier dynamics into hydrological modelling: A climate change impact assessment of the data-scarce headwaters of the Tarim River, Central Asia" at the University College London.
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Social and Natural science together: New Co-Directors to lead the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

23/02/2018 - The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is reinventing itself – appointing a twin leadership bringing together natural sciences and social sciences stronger than ever. In late September, the German climate economist Ottmar Edenhofer and the Swedish Earth system scientist Johan Rockström will become directors of the internationally renowned institute which is a member of the Leibniz Association. This was decided on Friday by the institute's Board of Trustees, headed by the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The retirement of the founding director Hans Joachim Schellnhuber this autumn after a quarter of a century as the head of the institute marks the beginning of a new era in Potsdam.
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IPCC Cities Conference, keynote speech by J.P. Kropp

04-08/03/2018 - Dr. Jürgen Kropp of RD2 provided a keynote speech on "Solutions for the transition to low carbon and climate resilient cities" during the Opening Panel of the IPCC Cities Conference in Edmonton, Canada. He subsequently contributed to the panel discussion on foreseeable urban challenges during the 21st century.
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PIK Research Days: “Keep digging in your pockets”

02/23/2018 - Scientists and staff of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) gathered this week for their annual roadshow of scientific achievements and discussions of future projects. Climate negotiations, climate migration, public health, sea-level legacy, jet streams, ice losses at Antarctica, carbon pricing – these were just some of the topics presented by PIK’s four research domains. This year’s research days focused in particular on the upcoming 1.5°C IPCC special report as well as on global change, big data and digitalization.
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Potsdam-China and back: "When climate projections return home"

02/05/2018 - China's Guanting region is threatened by water scarcity - how water and land can be used sustainably was explored over several years by a German-Chinese team headed by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Now the scientists published a book on their findings. The researchers applied computer simulations on climate change and water cycles in Brandenburg to the Guanting region. They thereby gained valuable new methodological insights for refining their models - and now bring this back to Germany: a learning process across continents.
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