RETHINKING CLIMATE RESEARCH – THROUGH KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND NEW PERSPECTIVES
The risks of exceeding planetary boundaries have already been explored by science for decades. But we still lack the comprehensive research findings, knowledge transfer mechanisms and innovations needed at regional level to develop systematic solutions to the global societal challenges we face. The Climate Change Center Berlin Brandenburg aims to play a key role in this regard. The center is supported by a council of leading experts from civil society, politics and government, business and industry, and the arts, culture and media. The goal is to ensure that science and research are designed to meet the needs of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region.
The Berlin Senate is providing start-up funding of 2.6 million euros in the two-year budget for 2022/23. This will support the continued development of the CCC and create long-term structures that will strengthen Berlin and Brandenburg as a center of research for science-based solutions to the climate crisis, as well as improving networks across the broad range of scientific expertise in the metropolitan region.
“What makes the CCC special is its regional focus. We develop measures, solutions and strategies that are specific to the Berlin-Brandenburg region, based on cutting-edge research. Policymakers, government officials, and leaders from business and civil society are involved right from the start. In this way, we support the transformation process in the region by developing measures for climate change mitigation and adaptation that are tailored, practically implementable and supported by a broad range of stakeholders.” Prof. Dr. Sophia Becker, vice president for sustainability, internal communication, transfer, and transdisciplinarity at Technische Universität Berlin and head of the Chair of Sustainable Mobility and Transdisciplinary Research Methods.
The Berlin-Brandenburg climate alliance, led by Technische Universität Berlin, is now supported by more than 30 universities, research institutes, and think tanks. Their common aim is to support the development of research projects and proposed solutions that meet the specific demands of the metropolitan region. In 2022 and 2023, the CCC is supporting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration on climate across more than 20 research and transfer projects in areas such as sustainable construction, mobility, health and nutrition, and education and the arts.
The CCC is advised and supported by a Council of Experts. The council has been initially appointed until the end of 2023 and is chaired by Prof. Dr. Christian Thomsen, TU Berlin, and Prof. Dr. Sophia Becker, vice president for sustainability, internal communication, transfer, and transdisciplinarity at TU Berlin:
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- Guido Beermann, Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Planning for the State of Brandenburg
- PD Dr. med. Peter Bobbert, president of Ärztekammer Berlin (Berlin medical association)
- Dr. Stefan Brandt, director of Futurium gGmbH
- Andreas Gehlhaar, head of sustainability and environment at Deutsche Bahn AG
- Dr. Ina Czyborra, Senator for Higher Education, Health and Long-Term Care
- Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide, mayor of Luckenwalde
- Dr. Angela Jain, Senate Chancellery Berlin, Smart City
- Dr. Manja Schreiner, Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment (member since 05/23)
- Theresa Keilhacker, president of Architektenkammer Berlin (Berlin chamber of architects)
- Michael Knoll, Gasag
- Ute Bonde, Managing Director of VBB Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg
- Felix Nasser, Klimaneustart Berlin (civil society climate network)
- Carla Reemtsma, Press Spokesperson at Fridays for Future
- Andreas Rieger, president of Architektenkammer Brandenburg (Brandenburg chamber of architects)
- Marcus Schönwälder, head of maintenance at Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG (heating provider)
- Manja Schüle, Minister for Science, Research and Culture for the State of Brandenburg
- Tino Sehgal, freelance artist
- Susanne Stumpenhusen, Berlin-Brandenburg Future Forum Initiative at the Stiftung Zukunft Berlin (Berlin foundation for the future)
- Axel Vogel, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection for the State of Brandenburg
Second meeting of the Council of Experts on 30 March 2023 Photo: Michael Reinhardt
The CCC has also partnered in a number of events, including Berlin Climate Day 2022, organized by BUND Berlin, and the sbe22 berlin D-A-CH conference, which looked at the sustainable built environment within planetary boundaries and was organized by the Natural Building Lab at TU Berlin. As part of Berlin Science Week 2022, the CCC continued its own CLIMATE:Lab event series, focusing on science communication in the climate crisis, and also supported Zukunftsorte Berlin’s Climate Day.