Earth exceeds safe limits: First Planetary Health Check issues red alert
24.09.2024 - The Planetary Boundaries Science (PBScience), a new initiative led by PIK director Johan Rockström and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), supported by the Planetary Guardians and other partners, has launched the Planetary Health Check (PHC), a first-of-its-kind scientific report and tool for the health of the Earth’s vital organs that serve as humanity’s life support system. The PHC combines pioneering Earth science, Earth observation data and multi-disciplinary thinking to quantify the planet’s health and inform solutions to reverse the impact of human activity on the planet.
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How a carbon central bank can turn Europe into a CO₂ “eater”
17.09.2024 - The EU has decided to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. From then on, for every tonne of CO₂ still emitted, one tonne would have to be taken out of the atmosphere. A European Carbon Central Bank could play a key role on the way there - and use market-based incentives to set the course for a net-negative emissions balance in the second half of the century, turning Europe into a CO₂ “eater”, so to speak. Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), explained how this could work economically in the renowned “Thünen Lecture”.
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Global Warming's Economic Blow: Risks rise more rapidly for the rich
13.09.2024 - In a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), researchers analysed how erratic weather events, increasingly intensified by global warming, affect global production and consumption across different income groups.
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Lisa Murken receives Hermann Eiselen Science Prize for excellent research
12.09.2024 - This year's prestigious Hermann Eiselen Science Award goes to Lisa Murken, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). In her work, the agricultural economist focuses on the complex relationships between land ownership and the ability of small farmers to adapt to climatic changes. The prize is awarded for outstanding scientific work whose findings contribute to improving the world's food supply.
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Achieving prosperity for planet and people requires fair resource sharing and addressing inequality: New Earth Commission study
12.09.2024 - It remains possible for all humans to escape poverty and be safe from harm caused by Earth system change, but urgent global transformations are needed, shows new research co-authored by Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). The concept of the ‘Safe and Just Space’— the zone where humans can thrive without destabilizing the planet— is shrinking rapidly. The poorest are currently the most vulnerable, yet everyone is increasingly at risk, according to the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
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Increase of future sea-level rise highly depends on reducing emissions today
10.09.2024 - With continued high emissions, the mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) and its impact on sea level rise could increase sharply after 2100, finds a team of researchers with contribution of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Their new study, published in Earth’s Future, highlights how dramatically the differences between low and high emissions scenarios could evolve over time and what these changes could mean for future generations.
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UN report: Accelerated sea-level rise poses significant risk for Pacific Islands
28.08.2024 – A new UN brief outlines the current scientific understanding of sea-level rise on coastal flooding, with particular attention to major coastal cities in G20 countries and the Pacific Small Island Developing States. The projections underline that climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods especially of coastal communities. The brief was scientifically supported by Anders Levermann, researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
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What Works: Groundbreaking Evaluation of Climate Policy Measures Over Two Decades
23.08.2024 - An international research team has unveiled the first comprehensive global evaluation of 1,500 climate policy measures from 41 countries across six continents. Published in the prestigious journal Science, this unprecedented study provides a detailed impact analysis of the wide range of climate policy measures implemented over the last two decades. The findings reveal a sobering reality: many policy measures have failed to achieve the necessary scale of emission reductions. Only 63 cases of successful climate policies, leading to average emission reductions of 19 percent, were identified. The key characteristic of these successful cases is the inclusion of tax and price incentives in well-designed policy mixes.
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Tipping risks from overshooting 1.5 °C can be minimised if warming is swiftly reversed
01.08.2024 - Current climate policies imply a high risk for tipping of critical Earth system elements, even if temperatures return to below 1.5 °C of global warming after a period of overshoot. A new study published in Nature Communications indicates that this risk can be minimised if the warming is swiftly reversed. That is why reducing emissions in the current decade is crucial for the stability of the Earth systems functions, researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and other institutes write. They analysed the tipping risks for four interconnected core climate tipping elements: the Greenland Ice Sheet, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and the Amazon Rainforest.
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New Brandenburg Climate Council chaired by Hermann Lotze-Campen
15.07.2024 - Hermann Lotze-Campen from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) has been appointed chair of the new Brandenburg Scientific Climate Advisory Board. The 12-member committee will advise and support the state government in achieving its climate protection goals. The establishment of the Climate Advisory Board is part of the climate plan adopted by the state government in March 2024.
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“A shining example of dedicated leadership within global health”: Johan Rockström receives Virchow Prize 2024
15.07.2024 – Johan Rockström receives the Virchow Prize 2024. The scientific Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) receives the reward for his comprehensive approach to safeguarding both human and planetary health as well as for the introduction of the concept of planetary boundaries. The Virchow Prize recognises outstanding lifetime achievements in the field of global health that align and uphold the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
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Wolfgang Lucht appointed to the German Advisory Council on the Environment for third term
01.07.2023 - Wolfgang Lucht has been reappointed to the German Advisory Council on the Environment (Sachverständigenrat für Umweltfragen, SRU). The Head of the Research Department for Earth System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is now in his third term on the committee. The SRU advises the German Federal Government on environmental policy and began its new term on July 1.
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Leonie Wenz awarded Piers Sellers Prize 2024
25.06.2024 - The prestigious Piers Sellers Prize was awarded to Leonie Wenz. As one of two winners, the deputy head of Complexity Science at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) is being honoured for her world leading contribution to climate solutions, especially for her excellent research on the economic impacts of climate change.
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Up to 30 percent more time: Climate change makes it harder for women to collect water
21.06.2024 - By 2050, climate change could increase the amount of time women in households without running water spend collecting water by up to 30 percent on global average, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change. In regions of South America and Southeast Asia, the time spent collecting water could double due to higher temperatures. A team of scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) estimates the large welfare losses that could result from climate impacts and highlights how women are particularly vulnerable to changing future climate conditions. Worldwide, two billion people currently lack access to safe drinking water. The responsibility for collecting water typically falls on women and girls.
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Paving the way for carbon pricing with green alternatives
17.06.2024 - The political success of climate change mitigation in Europe will depend on how well policy design enables consumers to switch from fossil fuels to clean green energy sources, researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK and Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz argue. To accept carbon pricing, citizens desire viable alternatives to fossil-fuel based options, the authors of a new Comment published in Nature Climate Change write. They suggest a new argument for how to understand the public’s response to carbon pricing and how to ensure successful climate policy.
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Katja Frieler: Climate Impact Professorship at the University of Potsdam
05.06.2024 - Katja Frieler, head of the “Transformation Pathways” research department and the “Pathway-specific climate risks” division at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), took up the professorship for Climate Impacts at the University of Potsdam on April 1 this year.
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Credibility makes or breaks the price: political commitment in long-term climate policy key for effective EU emissions trading system
30.05.2024 - High policy credibility is crucial for carbon prices in the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) to be high enough to efficiently incentivise emission reductions in the long term, a new study finds. A team of scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) shows that two consecutive ETS reforms elevated CO₂ prices from below 10 Euro per ton of CO₂ in 2017 to about 80 Euro per ton of CO₂ in 2022, not only by tightening the cap, but also by firming up political commitment to it. This effectively made firms act with more foresight, emitting less in the short term to store certificates for future use.
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Johan Rockström awarded Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in Potsdam
21.05.2024 - PIK director Johan Rockström was awarded the 2024 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in a festive ceremony held in Potsdam. Rockström received the world’s most prestigious environmental prize for his advancement of the Planetary Boundaries science and its importance and reach across the world. The USD $250,000 Prize recognises global leaders in environment and sustainability.
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From ocean currents to the energy transition: thousands visit PIK for Potsdam Science Day
04.05.2024 - Under the motto "Research. Discover. Join in.", the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), together with the other Telegrafenberg institutes, hosted this year's Potsdam Science Day. On the first Saturday in May 6,200 interested visitors came to find out about the work of researchers at PIK at information stands, lectures and hands-on experiments in the sunshine and spring-like temperatures.
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Climate change could become the most important driver of biodiversity loss by mid-century
26.04.2024 - Whereas global biodiversity has declined between 2 and 11 percent during the 20th century due to land-use change alone, climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-21st century. That is the result of the largest modelling study of its kind by more than 50 scientists from over 40 institutions now published in the journal Science. The study was led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), with contribution of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
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Girls' Day 2024 at PIK: Exciting insights into climate research
25.04.2024 - More than 15,000 options, around 135,000 spots available across Germany, more schoolgirls than ever before: this year's Girls' Day has set new records. At the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), 19 girls from Berlin and Brandenburg had the opportunity to take an exclusive look behind the scenes at the institute.
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Securing competitiveness of energy-intensive industries through structural change: The pulling power of renewables
23.04.2024 - Countries with limited potential for renewables could save up to 20 percent of costs for green steel and up to 40 percent for green chemicals from green hydrogen if they relocated their energy-intensive production and would import from countries where renewable energy is cheaper, finds a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). This ‘renewables pull’ would create strong incentives for businesses to invest in low-emission production facilities in these renewable-rich countries. Renewable-scarce countries could put all focus on down-stream production and refinement as the smart way to secure industrial competitiveness.
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PIK research among most cited papers in policy documents worldwide
19.04.2024 - Three research papers conducted by PIK director Johan Rockström are among the top ten most cited papers in policy documents. This is according to an analysis of data provided to the journal Nature.
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Digital ministers visit PIK
18.04.2024 - The digital ministers of the German federal states visited the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the other research institutes on the Telegrafenberg in the course of their constituent meeting. PIK Director Ottmar Edenhofer presented the work of PIK and provided insights into important research projects.
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38 trillion dollars in damages each year: World economy already committed to income reduction of 19 % due to climate change
17.04.2024 - Even if CO2 emissions were to be drastically cut down starting today, the world economy is already committed to an income reduction of 19 % until 2050 due to climate change, a new study published in “Nature” finds. These damages are six times larger than the mitigation costs needed to limit global warming to two degrees. Based on empirical data from more than 1,600 regions worldwide over the past 40 years, scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) assessed future impacts of changing climatic conditions on economic growth and their persistence.
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Stefan Rahmstorf honoured with Alfred Wegener medal
17.04.2024 - Stefan Rahmstorf, co-head of the research department on Earth System Analysis of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), receives the renowned Alfred Wegener Medal & Honorary Membership by the European Geosciences Union (EGU).
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Overview article - Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point?
11.04.2024 - Studies show that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has already weakened as a result of anthropogenic climate change and is possible moving towards a tipping point. This current has a significant influence on climate, particularly in Europe. Stefan Rahmstorf, head of the Earth System Analysis research department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), outlines the current state of research in a new overview article in the scientific journal Oceanography.
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PIK statement on the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in three climate cases
09.04.2024 - Do states violate the human rights of citizens if they do too little to combat climate change? The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled on this question today and issued a legal decision in three cases.
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Food matters: Healthy diets increase the economic and physical feasibility of 1.5°C
28.03.2024 - A global shift to a healthier, more sustainable diet could be a huge lever to limit global warming to 1.5°C, researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) find. The resulting reduction of greenhouse gas emissions would increase the available carbon budget compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and allow to achieve the same climate outcome with less carbon dioxide removal and less stringent CO2 emissions reductions in the energy system. This would also reduce emission prices, energy prices and food expenditures.
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EU climate policy: How the EU could regulate carbon removal
28.03.2024 - 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 Ottmar Edenhofer, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), 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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