Research Institute for
Sustainability | at GFZ

Climate & Air Quality

Greenhouse gas emissions from human sources have increased dramatically since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. This has led to a 40 per cent increase in the atmospheric concentration of CO2 since 1750. There is strong scientific consensus that climate change and its various effects, including global warming and rising sea levels, are driven by these processes. Key sources of greenhouse gas emissions are also often major sources of air pollutants such as ozone precursors and particulate matter. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that air pollution is responsible for seven million premature deaths worldwide each year – and this figure is growing. In addition, climate change and air pollution both have severe impacts on agricultural production and consequently on food security. While distinct issues, there are many connections between climate change and air quality. Clearly, reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions is critical to curbing climate change and safeguarding human health and food security.

The IASS conducts research on climate policy as well as the sources and impacts of air pollution and strategies for its mitigation. Our work on air quality focuses primarily on urban areas, particularly in Europe and South Asia, and pays particular attention to the close link between air quality and climate change. The IASS also monitors, analyses and contributes to the implementation of two key policy processes at the international level: the Paris Climate Agreement and the work of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). Finally, researchers examine how technologies for removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or for increasing the reflection of sunlight away from Earth are entering science, society, and politics.

RIFS wissenschaftlicher Direktor Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence Appointed to the German Academy of Science and Engineering

Mark G. Lawrence, Director of the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, has been appointed a member of the National Academy of Science and Engineering of Germany (acatech). In a statement on the new appointments, the Academy writes: “Our new members have demonstrated exceptional excellence in their respective disciplines and join the ranks of acatech’s 682 members."
Net4Cities Air quality monitoring sites

A Network for Healthier Cities

The transport sector is a major contributor to environmental degradation, including air and noise pollution, damage to ecosystems and human health. To monitor air and noise pollution and generate data that will aid in assessing their health impacts related to it, the new research project Net4Cities will develop research infrastructure in eleven European cities in ten countries. This research and infrastructure will support efforts to implement the Zero Pollution Action Plan as part of the European Green Deal. The project is coordinated by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam.
Santiago de Chile Ozon Plaza de Armas

Heat-Ozone Extremes Affect Mortality

Cities in the Global South are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. Rising temperatures are worsening the effects of ozone pollution, for example. Like many other cities in the Global South, Santiago de Chile is highly segregated along socio-economic lines. RIFS scientist Tabish Ansari and a team of researchers have examined and compared the effects of heatwaves and ozone episodes in different areas of the city.
International exhibition "Examples to follow! – Expeditions in aesthetics and sustainability"

15.05.2023

Global Explorations in Aesthetics and Sustainability

The international exhibition “Examples to follow! – Expeditions in aesthetics and sustainability” has returned to its initial station in Berlin after 13 years on the road. The exhibition has been shown in Addis Ababa, Lima and Beijing, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Puebla, Haifa and Jerusalem, as well as in Bonn, Bremen, Essen, and Hamburg.
Potsdamer Science Day 2023

What Do Your Neighbours Think About the Energy Transition?

The annual Potsdam Science Day will take place on 6 May from 1.00 p.m. through to 7.00 p.m. at the University of Potsdam’s Griebnitzsee Campus. The Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) will be attending with a booth focussed on the energy and transport transitions and the findings of a nationwide survey on these two crucial transformations.
Nepal Patan Alte Stadt im Kathmandu

Benefits of the Net-Zero Emissions Strategy for Nepal

Achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement will require the combined efforts of states and companies around the world. How can developing countries achieve carbon neutrality and boost their resilience while pursuing economic growth and improved living standards? A study by the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) draws on the example of Nepal to analyse the benefits of a net-zero emissions strategy.
The pathways leading to sustainability are diverse

12.12.2022

The Power of Stories: Why We Need New Narratives for a Sustainable Future, and How Quantitative Analyses Can Support Them

While the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals are universal, the pathways leading to them are diverse. Due to their different biophysical, socio-economic and political-cultural circumstances, countries are guided by different visions of how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be achieved and have different policy options and levers for doing so. The SHAPE project ("Sustainable development pathways achieving Human well-being while safeguarding the climate And Planet Earth”) has taken up the challenge of identifying and describing such Sustainable Development Pathways (SDPs). An interdisciplinary team of researchers is currently developing and analysing new, holistic narratives and scenarios in order to understand how actions to mitigate climate change in-teract with strategies to achieve the other Sustainable Development Goals.
COP27 Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt

The IASS at the Climate Change Conference in Egypt

COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 6 to 18 November 2022 will see the international community come together to agree on further action towards achieving the climate goals agreed under the Paris Agreement. IASS researchers will attend and participate in the COP27 with various contributions relating to the core issues and the consequences of the conference outcomes.
2022 Deutschland G7 Präsidentschaft

13.06.2022

Energy security, high expectations, and a climate club?

In 2022, Germany assumed the presidency of the Group of 7 (G7). Its term got off to an ambitious start but was soon overshadowed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition to the crimes against humanity committed in Ukraine, the war is having an immense impact on the energy sector and efforts to protect the climate, the extent of which cannot be calculated at present. At the same time, Germany now finds itself caught up in a severe crisis due to its dependence on Russian gas imports.
Microplastics in the atmosphere and ocean

Airborne Micro- and Nanoplastics Pollute Oceans

A new study by an international team of researchers finds that the atmosphere is a significant source of plastic pollution in water bodies.
Potsdam Summer School 2022

Climate, Energy and Nature in a Changing World

On the overarching theme of "Towards a Sustainable Transformation - Climate, Energy and Nature in a Changing World," the Potsdam Summer School 2022 will continue as a transdisciplinary and interactive series of events from 22d till 31 of August.
The carbon border adjustment mechanism is initially aimed at emissions-intensive industries such as the steel sector.

An Incentive or a Penalty? A Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism Could Hit Some Trade Partners Hard

The European Green Deal plays a crucial role in the EU’s efforts to achieve its ambitious climate policy goals. By implementing a carbon border adjustment mechanism that will impose levies on imports, the EU hopes to prevent companies from relocating their activities to countries with less ambitious climate policies. Which countries are exposed to greater economic risks as a result? What makes them particularly vulnerable? And how can the EU help them to protect the climate? IASS researchers have tackled these issues in a new study.
Citizens' Council Climate with Ortwin Renn Federal Press Conference

“The 1.5°C target is a top priority”

Germany’s first national Citizens' Assembly on Climate has agreed on over 80 recommendations for climate policy, addressing mobility, construction, heating, food systems, and energy. The assembly was accompanied and supported by a panel of experts, led by Professor Ortwin Renn of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam.
The EU's Methane Strategy aims high but falls short of expectations, especially when it comes to agriculture and waste.

21.05.2021

Methane: A new hope? There is plenty of potential, but ambition is lacking

There is a lot on the international climate policy agenda in 2021. Most importantly, countries will finally have to submit their enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The European Green Deal will contribute to this process and will hopefully lead the EU towards a low-carbon economy with new climate protection targets and many other measures. With pressure growing to further reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and fulfil its international commitments, the EU is now examining the options around methane.
cabbage vs coal phase out coal Berlin

Why Germany’s Coal Compromise Failed to End the Debate

Can expert commissions develop solutions for controversial issues that will enjoy broad democratic support? A team of researchers from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) has analysed the work of Germany’s “Coal Exit Commission” using a set of new criteria. While the authors view positively the Commission’s success in reaching a compromise, they criticise its failure to deliver an outcome that promotes the common good, particularly with respect to the high cost of the coal exit and its unambitious contribution towards Germany’s climate goals, as well as the lack of public participation.

14.01.2021

The Biden presidency – A turning point for US and international climate policy?

On 20 January 2021, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the USA. His election has boosted hopes for international efforts to protect the climate. But the recent riots in Washington DC underscore the fact that Biden will be taking the helm of a deeply divided nation – and climate protection promises to be a particularly thorny issue.
Wasserstoffbetriebene schwere Nutzfahrzeuge könnten bedeutenden Beitrag zu Klimazielen leisten

Hydrogen-Powered Heavy Duty Vehicles Could Contribute Significantly To Achieving Climate Goals

A partial transition of German road transport to hydrogen energy is among the possibilities being discussed to help meet national climate targets. A team of researchers from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) has examined the hypothetical transition to a hydrogen-powered transport sector through several scenarios. Their conclusion: A shift towards hydrogen-powered mobility could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and greatly improve air quality - in particular, heavy duty vehicles represent a low-hanging fruit for decarbonization of road transport.
Ozon Schmetterling Luftqualität

Air Quality and Ozone: the Current State of Play

The threat posed by ozone to human health and vegetation continues to be a matter of concern for German politicians, scientists, and the general public. Participants in a workshop organised by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) analysed the current state of knowledge on ozone and identified areas where more action is required. The resulting publication contains a catalogue of recommendations for tackling the ozone problem.
Flaggen UNclimatechange - CC BY 2.0

Global Climate Change Conference in Madrid The IASS at COP25

Taking place in Madrid from 2 to 13 December, the 25th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) will focus on the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. The Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) will be represented in Madrid by a number of experts, who will address a range of issues.
“We need to start by telling people they are awesome”: Climate communications expert George Marshall at the K3 Kongress 2019.

11.10.2019

Outrage vs. Empathy – a Culture Clash in Climate Communication?

“We need to start by telling people they are awesome.” This was one of the central messages from climate communications expert George Marshall in his opening keynote at K3: Kongress zu Klimawandel Kommunikation und Gesellschaft, the German-language congress on climate communication that took place this September in Karlsruhe. As in: we have to accept people for who they are, listen to them, and frame climate action in terms that align with their values.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres at a meeting to prepare the Climate Summit.

04.10.2019

Climate Summit in New York: Plenty of Promises, but Little Action

From 23 to 25 September 2019, heads of government met at the United Nations in New York to discuss the fight against climate change and, later, the progress made towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ocean health is at risk.

27.09.2019

Achieving a healthy ocean – Regional ocean governance beyond 2020

The ocean plays a fundamental role in regulating global temperatures. Not only does the ocean absorb 93 percent of the heat trapped by rising anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2), but it also absorbs approximately 25 to 30 percent of anthropogenic CO2 emissions that would otherwise remain in the atmosphere and increase global warming.
Jonathan Franzen

25.09.2019

Giving up false hope: Why climate fatalism is hard to swallow, but necessary

Jonathan Franzen’s essay on the “climate apocalypse” has drawn a lot of criticism. His fatalistic attitude is uncomfortable, but it may be more inspiring for our thinking and acting than unrealistic optimism.
Measures against air pollution also help the climate.

Climate Protection and Clean Air: An Integrated Approach

From 23 – 25 September 2019, heads of government from around the world will convene at the United Nations’ General Assembly to discuss efforts to advance climate action and global sustainable development. The summit aims to boost national ambitions to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and will review the implementation of measures relating to the Sustainable Development Goals. The relationship between air pollution and climate change plays an important role in this context, and is the subject of a new IASS Policy Brief titled “A Practical Approach to Integrating Climate and Air Quality Policy”.
For over a year, young people have been demonstrating every Friday for more climate protection.

13.09.2019

Responding to Fridays for Future and the Youth Movement for Climate Justice

It has been a year since the first day of the very first school strike for climate. The school strike movement that sprung up in its wake has spread to over 1000 cities and countries around the world, with growing numbers of young people attending the weekly protest marches. As the movement enters its second year, it stands at an important turning point: either that there is a slow dismantling by way of red-tape and new rules that will force young people into submission; or societies will seize on the transformational potential of this moment to initiate meaningful responses to youth demands for climate justice.
Wide, well-kept, flanked by greenery: An ideal bicycle lane looks something like this.

STADTRADELN: Making Sustainable Mobility More Visible

As well as helping to make sustainable mobility more visible, the STADTRADELN campaign exposes the weak links in Potsdam’s cycling infrastructure. As an online IASS survey reveals, the campaign only managed to convert a few people to cycling: nearly all of the participants were already regular bike-users.
Lance Bennett

Tackling Disinformation on Climate Change

To avert devastating climate change impacts, we need to make dramatic lifestyle changes. Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Communication at the University of Washington and currently IASS Senior Fellow, explains how better communication can help us succeed in changing course.
Senior Fellow David Dunetz in the IASS roof garden.

Climate Action Takes Shape in Israel

David Dunetz has worked for 20 years at the Heschel Center for Sustainability in Tel Aviv, which leads the Israel Climate Forum, a consortium of civil society organizations. As a Visiting Research Fellow at the IASS Potsdam on a joint program with the Israel Public Policy Institute, he is currently researching how civic engagement and participation processes can advance climate policy and democratic innovation.
slate layers

Fracking Likely to Result in High Emissions

Natural gas releases fewer harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels. That’s why it is often seen as a bridge technology to a low-carbon future. A new study by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) has estimated emissions from shale gas production through fracking in Germany and the UK. It shows that CO2-eq. emissions would exceed the estimated current emissions from conventional gas production in Germany.
IASS Director Ortwin Renn

IASS Director Ortwin Renn Appointed to Scientific Steering Committee for Climate Action

Germany’s Ministry of the Environment (BMU) and Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) have appointed IASS Director Ortwin Renn to the steering committee of the scientific platform for the German Climate Action Plan 2050. The committee, which is composed of up to ten renowned scientists and academics, is tasked with helping the German federal government advance and implement its long-term climate strategy.
Synthetische Erdöl-Substitute – hier eine Anlage der Firma Sunfire in Dresden - sind ein vielversprechender Einsatzbereich von CCU-Technologien.

CO2 Recycling: Large Potential but Many Uncertainties Remain

Many different technologies already exist for converting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) into products like construction materials and chemicals. But which of them can make a real contribution to climate protection? A new study commissioned by the European Commission provides answers.
Das IASS präsentiert bei der Bauzaun-Ausstellung ein Projekt zu Klimawandel und Luftqualität.

Research Projects Showcased in the Heart of Potsdam

In our daily lives we tend to hurry past construction sites. But the fence surrounding a major building site on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße in Potsdam has been attracting attention following the launch of a hugely interesting open-air exhibition on Saturday, 19 January. The exhibition showcases the range of research projects based in the city and explores its diverse research landscape.
Katowice

22.01.2019

Key Takeaways from COP24

The United Nations’ climate talks in Katowice, Poland this past December wrapped up with an agreement on the terms to finalize most of the Paris Rulebook and set the 2015 Paris Agreement into action. While the parties agreed on many important issues, the final text comes up short on several key fronts.
The combustion of coal releases a particularly large amount of harmful emissions.

17.01.2019

For Climate and Health: Let’s Step up our Ambition for Clean Air

It smelled like smoke when I arrived in Katowice, Poland, early on a Sunday morning, at the start of last December’s UN Climate Change Conference COP24. It instantly reminded me of landing in Beijing for the first time in 2016: back then the smell of coal-tinged air was immediately present upon walking up the jetway into the shiny, ultra-modern Beijing airport.
COP24

19.12.2018

New Horizons for Public Participation at COP24

Participation played a key role at this year’s UN Climate Change Conference COP24 in Katowice. On the second day of COP24, Sir David Attenborough lent his signature voice to deliver the People’s Address before a full COP plenary. The address consisted of a two-minute video collage of social media video recordings, tweets and posts published under the #TakeYourSeat hashtag in the months prior and addressed to decision-makers at the summit.
In Katowice, it became clear that some states have strong reservations when it comes to aligning their future efforts with the 1.5°C target. But swift action is needed to mitigate climate change.

09.01.2019

It will take more than a rulebook to protect the climate

The adoption at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice of a rulebook for the implementation of the Paris Agreement is an important milestone – but the international community should not be content with this.
Mark Lawrence (4th from left) at a COP24 event organised by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.

19.12.2018

No Silver Bullet Against Climate Change

The 2018 COP24 climate conference in Katowice, Poland is over. Looking back at what has been achieved in the three years since the historical Paris Agreement reminds me a bit of the John Lennon lyrics: “So this is Christmas - and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun.” While the conference was indeed successful in coming to an agreement over the rule book for how to account for countries upholding their commitments to limiting climate-relevant emissions under the Paris Agreement, there were no real breakthroughs.It is reassuring that the rule book was achieved, despite the considerable resistance from several countries, though it is exactly what was on the plan for this round of negotiations. Thus COP24 was another milestone in the steady progress being made towards implementing measures intended to help us achieve the chief goal of the Paris Agreement: keeping global warming well below 2°C, aiming to limit it to only 1.5°C.
"Changing together" is the motto of COP24

11.12.2018

Climate Change and Health: Getting the Message Across at COP24

Latest estimates indicate that the value of health gains from climate action would be approximately double the cost of mitigation policies at global level, and the benefit-to-cost ratio is even higher in countries such as India and China.
The IASS at the COP23 in Bonn in November 2017. The institute will also inform about its work at a booth in Katowice.

The IASS at the Katowice Climate Change Conference

The 24th UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) is due to take place in the Polish city of Katowice from 2 to 14 December. At this year’s COP, minds will focus on concrete steps towards implementing the Paris Climate Agreement. A whole host of experts from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) will be there. At the international symposium on “Safeguarding Our Climate, Advancing Our Society”, IASS Scientific Director Patrizia Nanz will speak about the role democratic structures can play in the shift to sustainability. And IASS Scientific Director Mark Lawrence will represent the institute at the High Level Assembly of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition on the margins of the conference.
The privileged treatment of diesel under German tax law makes it more affordable than petrol.

The Diesel Boom and the Climate: Study Lends More Weight to Calls to End Subsidies

The cost advantage of diesel has caused the number of newly registered diesel cars to sky-rocket over the last twenty years. Scientists have now calculated the exact effects of this “diesel boom”: In a new study published in the journal “Atmospheric Environment” they show that the diesel boom in Europe has failed to benefit the climate.
Nine internationally renowned Potsdam-based research institutes want to support the city’s climate protection efforts.

New Climate Partnership between City of Potsdam and Local Research Institutes

The City of Potsdam has set itself an ambitious climate protection goal: It wants to reduce its CO2 emissions to practically zero by the year 2050. A new long-term partnership between the city and Potsdam-based research institutes is intended to pave the way for this.
Many people are happy about the new bicycle lane on Potsdam's Zeppelinstraße.

Reorganisation of traffic on Potsdam’s Zeppelinstraße garners more criticism than praise

Due to excessive air pollution, in July 2017 the City of Potsdam reallocated space on the very busy Zeppelinstraße in an attempt to reduce car traffic and encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport. While they welcome the fact that this measure has made cycling safer, participants in an online survey conducted by the IASS are critical of other effects, claiming that life has become more difficult for commuters, and air and noise pollution have only been reduced in a small area – to the detriment of side streets.
Luftschadstoffe aus dem Straßenverkehr schaden der Gesundheit.

Air Pollution: IASS Policy Brief Critical of Incentives to Purchase New Diesel Cars

Diesel cars are the main source of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions in urban areas, an increasingly pressing problem that some German cities are seeking to solve by imposing diesel bans. But that won’t be enough. A new IASS Policy Brief makes recommendations to policymakers on how to deal with diesel emissions.
Alaska from the air: NASA scientists have investigated how the water level in the Arctic landscape changes when the permafrost thaws. In the near future, changes in water levels will affect Arctic life - plants, animals and humans.

10.10.2018

Reflections on the IPCC special report on pathways to and impacts of 1.5°C

How is this report different from previous IPCC reports what political signals does it send?
The impacts of climate change are already significant and measurable. What conditions would justify climate engineering interventions?

Climate Geoengineering Cannot Save the Paris Agreement

In order to avert the worst consequences of climate change, the Paris Climate Agreement aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C and, if possible, to 1.5°C. But this goal will only be achieved if the signatory states reduce their emissions considerably more than they have pledged so far under the agreement. Could climate geoengineering be a Plan B if they fail to deliver? A team of authors led by IASS Scientific Director Mark Lawrence argue in an article just published in Nature Communications that the proposed technologies cannot be relied on to rescue the Paris Agreement and the 2°C goal.
The pollution of the air with nitrogen oxides (NOx) is particularly high on weekdays, when many cars are on the road.

Nitrogen Oxide Emissions Significantly Underestimated in Berlin

New study shows how air pollution can be calculated more accurately.
In accordance with Buddhist ethics, climate engineering techniques should only be deployed after careful and thorough consideration.

Buddhism Sets a High Hurdle for Climate Engineering

What can Buddhism contribute to the current debate on climate engineering? A recent article in the Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture explores this question.
Climate Engineering Report

How might Climate Engineering affect the Sustainable Development Goals? New Report Presented at the United Nations Environment Program

Study co-authored by IASS scientists recommends more transdisciplinary research on the interconnections between climate engineering and sustainable development.
CITY CYCLING encourages people to switch to using their bicycle in their everyday lives.

CITY CYCLING for a Better Climate and Clean Air: IASS Researchers Focus on Sustainable Mobility

The CITY CYCLING campaign encourages local politicians and citizens to choose cycling as a climate-friendly means of transportation between 1 May and 30 September. Researchers from the IASS are conducting a survey to learn more about participants’ interactions with cycling infrastructure and what it would take to encourage them to cycle more frequently. These findings will be used subsequently in the development of policy recommendations.
"The Skin of Our Planet" is the topic of the Potsdam Summer School 2018.

The Skin of our Planet: Call for Applications to the 2018 Potsdam Summer School

The Earth’s surface is the foundation of all human activity. Geological, biological and climatic dynamics like the carbon cycle, soil formation, and climate and ocean currents form a complex web of connected processes, whose interactions are not yet fully understood. The fifth Potsdam Summer School from 10 to 19 September 2018 is devoted to “The Skin of our Planet – the Earth’s Surface System”.
Smog in Los Angeles, where research on ozone as an air pollutant first began.

New Database on Global Surface Ozone Levels Shows Regions Most Affected by Air Pollution

Surface ozone reaches levels that are potentially detrimental to human health in many regions around the globe. Now, a large international team including IASS researcher Erika von Schneidemesser has compiled and analysed data on ground-level ozone from thousands of monitoring stations around the world to shed light on its distribution.
A discussion of Brandenburg’s energy and climate policy with (from left to right) Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (PIK), Patrizia Nanz (IASS), Dietmar Woidke, Governor of Brandenburg, Ortwin Renn (IASS), and Viola Gerlach (IASS, moderator).

A Future Commission for Brandenburg

The Governor of Brandenburg and members of the state government came to the IASS on 12 December to discuss energy policy and climate protection. Together with the directors of the IASS and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), they explored the idea of a Future Commission to ensure that Brandenburg’s energy transition is socially responsible and economically sustainable.
Measures against climate change are being discussed in Bonn.

The IASS at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn

Experts from the institute to provide information about climate protection, marine conservation, and the energy transition
“Public Engagement and Climate Engineering - Whither and how?” This was discussed at one of over 30 sessions at the conference.

Climate Engineering Conference 2017 (CEC17): Critical Global Discussions held in Berlin

Despite extensive efforts among members of the international community and the historical agreement reached in Paris in 2015, greenhouse gases continue to be emitted in vast amounts, with potentially devastating consequences around the world.
Climate engineering measures can be divided into two groups: those intended to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide and those intended to alter the Earth’s solar radiation balance. © IASS

IASS Fact Sheets Review the State of Climate Engineering Research

Despite the diplomatic success achieved by the international community with the Paris ...
IASS researcher Erika von Schneidemesser at an air monitoring station in Berlin. © IASS/Rolf Schulten

What Would "Clean" Diesel Cars Do for Air Quality in Berlin? New Study by IASS Researchers

At present, the EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations are regularly ...
How dangerous is air pollution for my health? Many cyclists in German cities ask themselves the same question.

Air Pollution and Climate Change

Air pollution and climate change are closely related. The main sources of CO2 emissions – the extraction and burning of fossil fuels – are not only key drivers of climate change, but also major sources of air pollutants.
The global ocean circulation system and the circulation system of the atmosphere are changing due to global warming. This NASA illustration shows a complex pattern of large and minor surface currents.

Climate Engineering

While there is still hope that risks from climate change can be limited by cutting greenhouse gas emissions, there is also a perception that ‘time is running out’. This perception of a looming watershed has given rise to calls for research on intentional, large-scale interventions into the climate system, referred to as either ‘climate engineering’ or ‘geoengineering’.
Der Chemiekonzern Bayer stellt bereits Produkte aus CO2 her.

CO₂: From Waste to Feedstock

Economic activities and consumer behaviour in developed countries are currently based mainly on the use of fossil-based raw materials, and their emissions are largely responsible for anthropogenic climate change. In efforts to reduce human effects on the climate, the avoidance of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is and remains the most important measure. But high CO2 emissions go hand in hand with a demand for carbon in the form of many of the goods that we need on a daily basis, for example for the production of plastics or fuels. Can it therefore make sense to consider the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) as a source of carbon? Since the 1970s, scientists have been researching carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies. The aim of these technologies is to re-cycle the CO2 contained in emissions as a feedstock for industrial processes. This captured CO2 could replace fossil-based carbon as a component of materials and energy carriers, thereby creating a carbon cycle.
Subscribe to Climate & Air Quality