Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
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The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK, German: Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung) is a German government-funded research institute addressing crucial scientific questions in the fields of global change, climate impacts, and sustainable development. Ranked among the top environmental think tanks worldwide, it is one of the leading research institutions and part of a global network of scientific and academic institutions working on questions of global environmental change. It is a member of the Leibniz Association, whose institutions perform research on subjects of high relevance to society.
History[]
PIK was founded in 1992 by Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, who became the institute's first director. In 2018 he was replaced by two joint directors - the former deputy director Ottmar Edenhofer, and Johan Rockström from Stockholm Resilience Centre. About 400 people work at the institute that is located on Potsdam's historic Telegrafenberg.[1] Researchers from the natural and social sciences analyze the Earth system and develop strategies and solution pathways for a sustainable development.
Partners[]
PIK provides information to international organizations like the World Bank as well as to regional bodies like the Federal Government of Germany and the European Commission. PIK scientists also contribute to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). From 2008 to 2015, the IPCC working group Climate Change mitigation was co-chaired by the institute's co-director and chief economist Ottmar Edenhofer.
In 2007, PIK initiated a biennial Nobel Laureates' Symposium series on global sustainability. The fourth annual symposium is scheduled for April 22, 2015 and will be held in Hong Kong.[2] This will be the first time that the Laureates' Symposium will be held outside Europe and will be focused on the rapid urbanization East Asia and Pacific region.[2]
In 2010, PIK collaborated with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology to found Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community).[3] Through this partnership, PIK works with other companies and academic institutions to address sustainable growth through climate change mitigation and adaptation.[4]
Sources[]
- ^ PIK Research Portal – Organization. Web site of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Visited on August 19, 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Nobel Laureates' Symposium series website
- ^ Climate-KIC – Academic Partners. Web site of Climate-KIC. Visited on August 19, 2012.
- ^ "About Climate-KIC". climate-kic.org. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
See also[]
- Climatic Research Unit
- NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies
- NCAR Community Climate System Model
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
References[]
Further reading[]
- Researchers refine assessment of tipping elements of the climate system regarding Tipping point (climatology) June 23, 2011
- Some Like It Hot! Bill McKibben May 9, 2013 New York Review of Books review of Turn Down the Heat: Why a 4ºC Warmer World Must Be Avoided a report for the World Bank by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Climate Analytics; November 2012, 58 pp., available at climatechange.worldbank.org
External links[]
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- Climate change organizations
- Environmental research institutes
- Research institutes in Germany
- Organisations based in Brandenburg
- Potsdam