Core Research Area Climate, Earth and Environment

Which climate futures are possible, which are plausible? How probable is it that we can limit the warming of the Earth to 2 or, even better, 1.5 degrees Celsius? With its partners in the core research area Climate, Earth and Environment, Universität Hamburg is the only institution in Germany to investigate the cycle of climate change, the resulting changes in society, and the effects of those societal changes on climate.

We combine excellent basic research with highly complex computer models, and develop case studies and concrete adaptation scenarios as well as decision-making tools for business and government.

The Cluster of Excellence Integrated Climate System Analysis and Prediction (CliSAP), which ran until the end of 2018, gave many researchers an opportunity to prove their expertise.

The new Cluster of Excellence Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CliCCS), which consolidates and expands the work of CliSAP, attempts to understand climate changes, incorporating natural changes, extreme events, and unexpected effects into its research. It spans the large thematic arc from basic research to climate system dynamics, from social dynamics to the transdisciplinary investigation of the reciprocal effects of humans and the environment. CliCCS brings together extensive experience in interdisciplinary climate research and will develop plausible future climate scenarios on all scales—from global to local.

The Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN) represents the core research area Climate, Earth and Environment at Universität Hamburg. As a unique research center, CEN supports interfaculty project development, academic management, and communication.