News

Snowball Earth: algae triggered cooling millions of years ago

08/27/2015 - The advance of certain algae was probably one key contribution to an almost complete glaciation of the Earth millions of years ago. The consequent rise in emissions of organic cloud-condensation nuclei led to increased cloudiness. Thereby, they likely contributed crucially to the cooling of the climate, because clouds reduce solar radiation on the Earth´s surface. This was discovered by a team of scientists in a new study to be published today in the renowned journal Nature Geoscience.
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How network dynamics shape collaboration

08/25/2015 - From the Earth System to the human brain, from families to Facebook – complex networks can be found everywhere around us. Describing the structure of socio-economic systems, the analysis of complex networks can improve our understanding of interactions and transformations within our society. A team of researchers now used this approach to explore the development of large coalitions in a network of acquaintances, when cooperation promises the highest economic or social advantages. For the first time, they focused on how social relations interact with this process. Published in the journal Scientific Reports of the renowned Nature group, their results show that full cooperation is most probable when the network adapts only slowly to new coalition structures. If the network adapts faster than new coalitions form, its fragmentation might prevent the formation of large-scale coalitions.
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Renowned climate scientists explain climate change

08/18/2015 - In the run-up of the international climate negotiations in Paris, leading German climate scientists explain climate change and its impacts in an interdisciplinary Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). In five chapters with short video lectures, animations and pictures they depict the basics of climate science, climate impacts and the ensuing challenges for society. Everyone interested can now register, the course will start in November.
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Climate Impacts in Germany: Special Issue of the Meteorological Journal

08/18/2015 - The impacts of global warming in Germany until mid-century won´t be catastrophic, but serious – while other countries will be affected a lot more. In a now published special edition of the German Meteorological Journal, scientists from the environmental and social sciences shed a new light on the interactions between climate changes and economic sectors like agriculture, forestry, energy or water management as well as societal reactions in Germany.
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“Humanity at risk “: climate scientist Schellnhuber speaks at the Vatican

06/18/2015 - Pope Francis’ much anticipated encyclical “Laudato Si” on inequality and the environment mirrors not only religious insights but also the findings of climate science. “Not the poor but the wealthy are putting our planet, and ultimately humanity, at risk,” said Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), at the presentation of the encyclical in the Vatican today. “Those who profited least from the exploitation of fossil fuels and contributed least to greenhouse-gas emissions are hit hardest by global warming impacts, unless we strongly reduce emissions.” Schellnhuber is the only scientist who has been invited to speak, alongside Cardinal Peter Turkson.
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From power grids to heartbeat: Using mathematics to restore rhythm

07/15/2015 - When a rhythm stalls, the effect can be fatal – in a power grid it can mean a blackout, and in the human heart even death. An international team of scientists has now developed a new approach for revoking these undesired quenching states. They use an advanced mathematical methodology, building on complex networks analysis, and demonstrate it in experiments with chemical reactions. This could one day help to stabilize the flow of electricity in power grids challenged by the variable input from renewable energy sources. Future research could apply it to other complex networks, including processes within body cells and even the human cardiovascular system.
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Edenhofer speaking to finance ministers at OECD green tax conference

07/15/2015 - Strategies for environmental tax reform and growth were at the focus of a talk given by Ottmar Edenhofer, chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, at a high-level conference in the run-up of the world climate summit in Paris COP21 later this year. The recent meeting was a joint initiative by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Worldbank and others. It was attended by Finance and Environment Ministers, senior policy makers and experts from more than 90 countries, including China and Indonesia, Mexico and Egypt, Sweden and Portugal.
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New super-computer for climate science ranks among world’s top 400

07/13/2015 - The new high-performance computer at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research ranks among the 400 fastest world-wide. This was announced today at the beginning of the International Supercomputing Conference in Frankfurt, Germany. The machine is able to do 212 trillion calculations per second – so called Teraflops. This allows simulations of the complex interactions between atmosphere, oceans, land and ice-sheets to a much larger extent than was hitherto possible on site. The computer’s waste heat is used – environmentally-friendly – to heat the new PIK research building.
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Our Common Future Under Climate Change

07/10/2015 - This week, thousands of climate and social scientists as well as policy experts have met for the “Our Common Future under Climate Change” conference at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, among them a large number of experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). It has been the biggest gathering of high-ranking scientists paving the way for COP21 in December, laying out the state of science for fact-based decision-making.
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Record-breaking heavy rainfall events increased under global warming

07/08/2015 - Heavy rainfall events setting ever new records have been increasing strikingly in the past thirty years. While before 1980, multi-decadal fluctuations in extreme rainfall events are explained by natural variability, a team of scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research detected a clear upward trend in the past few decades towards more unprecedented daily rainfall events. They find the worldwide increase to be consistent with rising global temperatures which are caused by greenhouse-gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Short-term torrential rains can lead to high-impact floodings.
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Waste works: new Artist in Residence

06/29/2015 - One ton of recycled plastic boards pose as surrogate books, filling library shelves – this is just one example of Dan Peterman’s works. The Chicago-based art professor from the University of Illinois is this summer’s Artist in Residence at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact research (PIK). With long-term commitment to the socially oriented and environmentally conscious art, he has widely exhibited in the United States and internationally. Now he’s seeking the exchange with climate scientists, from Antarctica experts to energy economists. On 30 June, he will give a talk at the Kunstraum, Schiffbauergasse Potsdam.
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Schellnhuber appointed to Pontifical Academy of Sciences

06/26/2015 - The Pontifical Academy of Sciences, one of the most renowned around the globe, has selected climate scientist John Schellnhuber to become a member. Pope Francis himself nominated him last week. Schellnhuber, a professor of physics and director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, participated in a number of the Academy’s workshops on the sustainability challenge before, and he was the only scientist to speak at the presentation of the environmental encyclical “Laudato Si” in the Vatican.
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Thousands of media reports on Pope´s environmental encyclical

06/25/2015 - Worldwide, the presentation of the Pope´s encyclical “Laudato Si” in Rome last week has triggered tremendous coverage in the media. The director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, had been invited by the Vatican to speak about the scientific reasoning of the encyclical as the only scientist at its presentation. Ottmar Edenhofer, chief economist at PIK, discussed the significance of the Pope´s words at an event of the German Catholic Academy in Berlin on the same day; next week he will also be at the Vatican.
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“The Great Urban Transformation“: Nobel Laureates call on cities to tackle sustainability challenge

04/25/2015 - Cities around the globe need to re-invent themselves if they want to be a safe home for generations to come. Nobel Laureates call upon cities to tackle the dual challenge of population growth and climate change and seize the opportunity to lead the transition to sustainability. National and internationally agreed greenhouse-gas reduction targets need to guide and support local action. The distinguished scientists signed a memorandum this week in Hong Kong at the end of the three-day Nobel Laureates Symposium on Global Sustainability, convened for the first time in Asia. The Symposium was co-hosted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center.
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PIK researcher appointed new member of the Junge Akademie

06/11/2015 - "Outstanding and dedicated" - Ricarda Winkelmann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research is a new member of the Young Academy (Junge Akademie) of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and the German National Academy of Sciences. The Junge Akademie is the most important interdisciplinary network for German-speaking young scientists. Members of the Junge Akademie are elected for the duration of five years. To be eligible for membership, candidates should have completed their PhD within three to seven years prior to their application. Moreover, they should have published one further outstanding piece of work.
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Long Night of Science: Many visitors despite of thunderstorms

06/15/2015 - Regardless of the weather, about 26.500 people took the chance to learn more about science in Berlin and Potsdam and talk to scientists during the Long Night of Science last Saturday. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) at Potsdam´s Telegrafenberg hill participated with various attractions for the young and the young at heart.
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Pope Francis' encyclical: PIK-scientists to speak in the Vatican and in Berlin

06/12/2015 - When the much anticipated environmental encyclical will be launched on 18 June, John Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) will give a speech in the Vatican. He's the only scientist to join Cardinal Peter Turkson for the presentation. In the run-up of the encyclical, Schellnhuber participated in a number of workshops organised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The document issued by the leader of more than one billion Catholics around the world is expected to be an important signal on the road to a global agreement on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions which will be negotiated by governements at the world climate summit in Paris later this year.
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PIK scientist appointed professor

06/05/2015 - The Technical University Munich (TUM) appointed Anja Rammig, who has been working at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) for many years, for a professorship at its School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan. That makes Rammig part of the growing number of professorships held by PIK scientists or to where they move on, an indication of the great scientific recognition of the research conducted at the institute.
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Getting connected: PhD-Day at the Potsdam-Institute

06/03/2015 - From social networks for scientists and copyright issues and to visualization tools in climate research or dealing with climate skepticism – topics like these were discussed recently by young scientists of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research at their annual meeting. The PhD-Day offers the opportunity for doctoral candidates to get together, share experiences and for further education in different science related fields. The theme of this year’s meeting was “getting connected”.
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International praise for young PIK scientists

05/29/2015 - They work on carbon taxes, the German Energiewende and “flying rivers” in the Amazonian basin – the research of several young scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research has recently been awarded for its excellence.
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What would it take to limit climate change to 1.5°C?

05/21/2015 - A new study analyzes the required climate policy actions and targets in order to limit future global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. This level is supported by more than 100 countries worldwide, including those most vulnerable to climate change, as a safer goal than the currently agreed international aim of 2 degrees Celsius – an aim which would already imply substantial greenhouse-gas reductions. Hence the interest for scrutinizing the very low end of greenhouse-gas stabilization scenarios.
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Towards a new industrial revolution: studying societies’ metabolism

05/19/2015 - To achieve a lasting transition towards sustainability, large-scale conversion of our built environment – cities, transport systems, power generation – is key. This is an outcome of a special feature investigating advances in the research on industrial ecology, published in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and coordinated by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Studies cover topics from the urbanization effects to the material basis of modern societies, fundamental research that informs decision-makers.
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Urban interventions: new artists in residence

05/07/2015 - Two Romanian architects are this May’s artists in residence at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Alex Axinte and Cristi Borcan, known as studioBASAR, will be exchanging views with researchers who explore climate change impacts on cities – a topic which various projects at the institute focus on. Starting this year, the City of Potsdam joins the team of partners organizing the programme, alongside the Artists’ Programme of the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD and PIK.
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New junior professor for climate adaptation

05/05/2015 – To strengthen its research on climate adaptation, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has chosen Nicole Glanemann to become a junior professor in this crucial field. The joint appointment by the Otto Beisheim School of Management WHU and PIK focuses on the impacts of climate change on global infrastructures and supply chains. The new professorship is also intended to advance the economic theory of adaptation and mitigation.
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Tackling climate change adaptation: European conference in Copenhagen

04/30/2015 - Decision-makers from politics, business and science will meet from May 12-14 in Copenhagen to discuss climate change adaptation. Organized on behalf of the European Commission by three major climate adaptation projects, the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference ECCA 2015 will bring together scientific and practical knowledge to explore strategies for European cities to cope with climate impacts. The Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research, being the leader of one of the featured EU projects, is a co-organizer.
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„A moral imperative“: Schellnhuber speaks at Vatican climate meeting

04/29/2015 - In the run-up of the much anticipated encyclica on climate change by Pope Francis, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences hosted a workshop with researchers as well as religious, business and civil society leaders this week. The list of distinguished speakers in the Vatican included UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the Nobel Laureates Yuan Tseh Lee and Paul Crutzen, Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California, the economist Jeffrey Sachs of New York's Columbia University, and John Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The goal was, according to the organizers, to build a global movement to deal with climate change and sustainable development throughout 2015 and beyond.
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Girls' Day: students learn about career opportunities in science

04/24/2015 - Students from Berlin and Brandenburg visited the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on “Girls’ Day”. The day offers opportunities for young girls to find out about professions in the natural sciences, skilled crafts and trades, technology and information technologies and learn about alternative career opportunities.
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“Developing our cities, preserving our planet”: Nobel Laureates gather for the first time in Asia

23.04.2015 - Nobel Laureates across the world and across disciplines this week are gathering in Hong Kong to elevate the debate on climate change to a new level and to feed into the world climate summit in Paris later this year. For the first time, the Nobel Laureates are meeting in Asia for the symposium, “4C: Changing Climate, Changing Cities”. Cities are key to addressing the challenge of climate change which, if unabated, might result in a 4°C rise in mean temperature by the end of this century. Participants of the symposium include Nobel Prize winners Yuan T. Lee (Chemistry, 1986) from Taiwan, Brian Schmidt (Physics, 2011) from Australia, and James A. Mirrlees from the United Kingdom (Economics, 2006), complemented by international renowned experts such as K.S. Wong, Secretary for the Environment, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Aromar Revi of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements.
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