"The award means that the fates of people affected by climate change in other parts of the world do not leave us untouched, and that we as a society acknowledge the moral questions that follow," said Vinke. Jury member Heinz Kleger added: "In her elaborate interdisciplinary work, the political scientist examines the highly topical issue of climate migration. The interviews were conducted on site in Bangladesh and the Marshall Islands, giving a voice to those who are not heard in scientific or political discourses."
Lord Mayor Mike Schubert welcomed the fact that Kira Vinke's dissertation was awarded for a research project on such a relevant topic. "The work fits in thematically with Potsdam as a science location, focuses on the excellent research carried out at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and highlights the high level of young scientists in our region," said Schubert.
The work was supervised at the Potsdam Institute by Helga Weisz and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber. It was published by LIT Verlag as a book in the "Studies on International Environmental Policy". Kira Vinke heads the interdisciplinary project EPICC (East Africa Peru India Climate Capacities) at PIK, which is dedicated to the co-production of knowledge about regional climate and water systems and their interactions with agricultural livelihoods, human migration and security. Vinke is also currently co-chair of the Advisory Council on Civil Crisis Prevention and Peacebuilding of the German Federal Government.
Weblink to the press release of Potsdam State Capital:
https://www.potsdam.de/768-die-politikwissenschaftlerin-dr-kira-vinke-wird-mit-dem-13-potsdamer-nachwuchswissenschaftler
Weblink to the book at LIT-Verlag: http://www.lit-verlag.de/isbn/3-643-91130-8
Weblink to the EPICC project: https://www.pik-potsdam.de/research/projects/activities/epicc
