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EU climate policy: How the EU could regulate carbon removal

03/28/2024 - For the EU to effectively remove large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere in the future, it is not only important to develop the technical capabilities but also to have a proper regulatory structure in place. In a new study, a research team led by PIK Director Ottmar Edenhofer presents an economically sound concept for this. A European carbon central bank that is to be established plays a key role in the concept.
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Edenhofer on the presentation of the German government's Carbon Management Strategy

02/26/2024 - Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, recently presented key points for a Carbon Management Strategy and a draft law based on it to amend the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act as well as the key points for a Long-term Strategy for Negative Emissions to deal with unavoidable remaining emissions. Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), was invited to the launch of the concepts and analysed them from a scientific point of view.
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From Planetary Boundaries to Global Commons: “PIK Research Days” with latest science update

02/15/2024 – From planetary boundaries and tipping points to global commons and the economic implications of climate change, from methods like integrated assessment modeling or machine learning to the science-policy interface: The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research gathered for its traditional in-house conference, the “PIK Research Days”. The two-day event was packed with talks, panel discussions and elevator pitches about current and planned research.
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Press Release

Transforming food systems could create multi-trillion dollars of economic benefits every year

01/29/2024 - Transforming food systems around the world would lead to socio-economic benefits summing up to 5 to 10 trillion USD a year, shows a new global policy report produced by leading economists and scientists of the Food System Economics Commission (FSEC). The most ambitious and comprehensive study of food system economics so far underlines that food systems are currently destroying more value than they create and that an overhaul of food system policies is urgently needed. On the other hand, the cost of transformation would be much lower than the potential benefits, offering a better life to hundreds of millions of people.
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EU climate Advisory Board: EU needs to significantly accelerate its emission reductions

01/18/2024 - More efforts are needed across all sectors to achieve the EU climate objectives from 2030 to 2050, states a new report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC). Specifically, the report “Towards EU climate neutrality: progress, policy gaps and opportunities” identifies main gaps in the EU’s post-2030 climate policy, with providing a stable investment outlook for renewables and the revision of the EU energy taxation as pressing issues.
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Real progress, yet transition away from fossil fuels too vague: PIK Assessment on COP28 closing

12/13/2023 - After two weeks of negotiations, the UN climate summit COP28 in Dubai closed. More than 70.000 people from all over the world took part in the conference focused on the first Global Stocktake of climate plans and further steps for international climate action from 30 November to 13 December. Among them were PIK Directors Ottmar Edenhofer and Johan Rockström.
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More new fossil gas heating systems, only tentative progress: energy transition update

11/22/2023 - Reduced fossil fuel consumption due to the energy crisis, tentative positive signs in the expansion of renewable energy capacities, electric cars and heat pumps – but all this is not happening fast enough, according to new figures from the Ariadne Transformation Tracker. Moreover, the German energy transition is not yet on track when it comes to phasing out fossil fuels in the heating and transport sectors. Instead of the necessary decline, there has been a clear increase in the sale of new cars with combustion engines and new gas heating systems compared to the previous year.
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Press Release

Land taxation can reduce wealth inequality

11/14/2023 - Taxing land instead of capital could reduce the widening gap between rich and poor in societies, finds a new study from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). A team of scientists shows that, in a world of rising inequality, shifting the tax burden away from capital to land taxation could restore balance and promote economic growth. Especially people with little or no wealth could benefit from land taxes, for example in the form of less rapidly rising housing costs. The few municipalities, that have implemented land rent taxation so far, have used it to finance public transport, among other infrastructure investments.
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More interdisciplinary science: Green light for additional institutional funding of PIK

10/19/2023 - From interdisciplinary basic research to scientific policy advice: the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has received the green light from the committee of the Joint Science Conference (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz, GWK) of the German federal and state governments for its plans to expand the institute. The additional institutional funding will strengthen its expertise topics by securing investment for three cutting edge and so far little-researched topics. At the same time, the integration of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) will establish a policy research hub at the interface between research and policy from 2025 onward.
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“Shaping European environmental policy”: Ottmar Edenhofer on ENDS Europe Impact List

10/09/2023 - Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), is one of the 30 EU politicians and professionals who have played a significant role in shaping the European environmental policy over the past two years. For the first time, ENDS Europe, a European environmental policy news service, has compiled a list of the stakeholders who shape EU environmental policy through their important work.
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New series of talks by the Federal President on transformation opens with Ottmar Edenhofer

07/11/2023 - At the start of a new series of talks at Bellevue Palace, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier discussed ways to achieve climate neutrality with PIK Director Ottmar Edenhofer and Christine Benner, the Second Chair of IG Metall. The "Forum Bellevue on the Transformation of Society" focuses on social issues of the future, profound upheavals and changes in Germany.
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EU climate Advisory Board recommends ambitious 2040 climate target and urgent transitions

06/23/2023 - The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC), established by the European Climate Law, recommends in a new report EU emission reductions of 90–95% by 2040, relative to 1990, grounded on a science-based assessment addressing both fairness and feasibility.
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Press Release

Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities appoints Ottmar Edenhofer

06/19/2023 - Climate economist Ottmar Edenhofer has been appointed to the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW). The Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change was admitted to the academy during Leibniz Day 2023 in recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements.
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PIK expertise on the Petersberg Climate Dialogue

05/04/2023 - Ministers from 40 countries met this week at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in preparation of the next UN Climate Conference COP28 in November. Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), was among the invited speakers at the meeting, which is hosted annually by the German government with the conference presidency. “The Petersberg Climate Dialogue is an important stepping stone for the upcoming COP later this year in Dubai, where the Global Stocktake will be at the heart of international climate negotiations,” explains Rockström.
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PIK statement on today's IPCC synthesis report

03/20/2023 - Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has published its synthesis report on the Sixth Assessment Report.
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Planetary boundaries to help policy assessment in climate crisis

03/17/2023 - The concept of planetary boundaries should be included in the cost-benefit analysis of policy pathways, shows a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change MCC.
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From forest resilience to power grids to loss and damage: PIK Research Days

02/22/2023 - Hot topics were presented in talks and discussed among scientists at the annual ‘Research Days’ of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Virtually all members of the institute gathered for the 2-day exchange, the first one which happened face-to-face after the online-only times of COVID pandemic. Once a year, the entire institute comes together to update one another on its findings, new methods and challenges – and to discuss new frontiers to be investigated.
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Press Release

Tackling climate threats together: Munich Security Conference and Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research cooperate

02/17/2023 - The Munich Security Conference (MSC) and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) are joining forces to tackle threats arising from global heating. Greenhouse gas emissions from coal and oil reached record levels last year, increasing extreme weather events and yield failure risks that can fuel smoldering conflicts in poor countries and contribute to destabilizing societies. To help limit these risks, the leaders of MSC and PIK as champions in their respective fields of expertise now signed a cooperation agreement.
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Federal Research Minister visits PIK

01/09/2023 - The Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger has visited the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). She spoke for almost two hours with climate economist and PIK Director Ottmar Edenhofer, as well as with Administrative Director Bettina Hörstrup and Gunnar Luderer from the Copernicus research project ARIADNE on energy transition policy. Topics included the federal government's hydrogen strategy and research into economic models for extracting CO2 from the air and storing it underground, as well as research into energy systems.
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Statement

European Union to adopt emissions trading system for transport and heat

12/19/2022 - The European Union this weekend came to some decisions related to its climate policy, namely the EU Emissions Trading System. On this occasion, Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), issued a PIK Statement.
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Award for outstanding commitment: Ottmar Edenhofer receives Bavarian Order of the Constitution 2022

12/02/2022 - For his research on the most pressing challenges of our time, Ottmar Edenhofer is being awarded today the Bavarian Order of the Constitution. The director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is originally from Gangkofen (district of Rottal-Inn).
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COP27 world climate summit: “Results are not good enough”

11/22/2022 – A COP failure was avoided, but it was only a very moderate success for the climate. While 1.5 as a global goal is still there on paper, COP27 does not offer a concrete plan on how to achieve that. These are, in a nutshell, the assessments by PIK Directors Ottmar Edenhofer and Johan Rockström just after the 27th edition of the world climate summit COP concluded on Sunday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Positive outcomes of the summit include a first-of-its-kind set up of a ‘loss and damage fund’ that shall aim at compensating climate impacts for developing countries.
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Potsdam researchers amongst top 1% most cited worldwide

11/14/2022 - For the fifth year in a row, researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) are among the top 1 percent of the globally most scientifically influential authors. The renowned "Highly Cited" ranking is published once a year by Clarivate Analytics' science platform Web of Science. The ranking is based on the number of times researchers are cited in other academics' works - one of the most important indicators of scientific relevance. Twelve PIK researchers are listed, just like last year, including the institute's directors, and from all research departments.
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World climate summit COP27: Potsdam researchers highlight need for action

11/11/2022 - Climate policy-makers and experts are gathering in Sharm-el-Sheikh at the world climate summit COP27, amongst them researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The negotiations hosted by the United Nations also make media worldwide reach out to science.
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Press Release

"For a secure climate future": High-ranking guests at 30 years celebration of Potsdam Institute

06/30/2022 - High-ranking guests attended the 30th anniversary celebration of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) - from federal and Brandenburg politicians to a Nobel laureate. The institute, founded in 1992 and now employing a good 400 people, is needed more today than ever before in the worsening climate crisis, speeches said. The PIK Board of Directors thanked politicians as well as the scientists and all employees of PIK for their part in the success story.
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How taxing the rich can help everyone

06/23/22 - Taxing rich peoples’ gains from capital can help reduce inequality while keeping up overall prosperity – yet only on two conditions. First, the revenues from taxation must be invested into public infrastructure such as schools, public transport, or sustainable energy grids. Second, it must be fairly possible to replace machines by labour. This is the outcome of a mathematical modelling study by a team of economists including US Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
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"Climate, War and Science: Edenhofer holds Erich Schneider lecture in Kiel

06/14/2022 - For this year's renowned Erich Schneider Memorial Lecture, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel has invited Ottmar Edenhofer to speak. He will be painting the big picture, as the title of Edenhofer's lecture this Thursday shows: "Climate, War and Science - Practical Dilemmas and Theoretical Challenges". Erich Schneider, who died in 1970, was one of Germany's most important economic thinkers. Edenhofer speaks as director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, and as a professor at Technische Universität Berlin.
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Ottmar Edenhofer at re:publica in Berlin

06/10/2022 - At the first re:publica in person since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, PIK Director Ottmar Edenhofer was invited to discuss the "society in permanent crisis" and possible solutions with publicist Carolin Emcke.
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Fighting poverty and protecting the environment can only work together: Policy paper by the Potsdam Institute for the German Environment Ministry

06/02/2022 - A decent living for all people and better protection of nature and climate aren’t conflicting targets, a new scientific analysis highlights. Development goals such as reduced poverty and inequality, better health and education, and a secure supply of food and energy on the one hand interact closely with stabilizing the climate and preserving biodiversity on the other. Only together can these goals be achieved, shows a report by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) for the German Environment Ministry on the occasion of the Stockholm+50 summit which is starting today.
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PIK Director Edenhofer speaks at G7 summit

06/02/2022 - The G7 finance ministers met last week in Bonn and Königswinter to agree on common positions in areas such as climate action, ensuring economic stability and other pressing issues, and also sought exchanges with the scientific community. PIK director and climate economist Ottmar Edenhofer spoke at the summit on carbon neutrality and climate clubs.
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