WIMEK's Grand Challenge I: Climate action

Combatting climate change and its impacts is currently one of the most pressing global challenges. Greenhouse gas emissions are currently at the highest levels in human history. Weather patterns are changing and weather events are becoming more extreme, causing floods and droughts. Moreover, sea levels are rising, threatening densely-populated low land countries and delta regions. Urgent action to combat climate change is required, both by reducing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and by reducing the vulnerabilities to climate change and increasing adaptive capacity of socio-economic systems (adaptation).

WIMEK’s research aims at co-creating climate solutions by:

• analysing the climate system in order to better understand the anthropogenic causes and impacts of climate change
• identifying emission reduction strategies that are consistent with the aims of the UNFCCC
• developing nature-based climate solutions in agriculture, forestry, cities and integrated landscapes by exploring the potential of nature to reduce the impact of climate change and to improve the adaptive capacity of livelihoods
• supporting the development of user-oriented climate risk information services for public and private sector at various scales
• supporting the design, implementation, monitoring & evaluation of climate resilient (low risk low carbon) pathways together with stakeholders
• studying new governance arrangements at local to global scale aiming a facilitating climate change adaptation and mitigation

To realise these goals, WIMEK researchers collaborate intensively with governments, businesses and research institutes. Moreover, we train the next generation of climate change specialists through our unique and world-class multidisciplinary master and PhD programmes.