News — Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.