Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research PIK

NEW: PIK study finds a self-reinforcing interaction between temperature, soil moisture, and atmospheric pressure triggered at high temperatures is making extreme heatwaves 10% hotter than they would otherwise be. Read more 👉

RT @PIK_Klima: Danke für Ihr Interesse, Ihr Besuch hat uns gefreut! Brandenburgs Wissenschaftsministerin @ManjaSchuele (SPD) und Wirtschaftsministerin Martina Klement (CSU) kamen heute auf den Potsdamer Telegrafenberg und informierten sich u. a. über die Arbeit des PIK.

The call for parallel session proposals for the Global Tipping Points Conference 2027 is now open! 🗓️ 24–28 May 2027 📣 Submit your session proposal by 30 November 2026, 23:59 CET: 👉️ Preliminary programme & submission guidelines:

From 9 to 20 November 2026, the UN Climate Change Conference #COP31 will bring together delegates from nearly 200 countries in the Turkish city of Antalya. Here’s a brief overview of events that PIK scientists will be speaking at. ⬇️

Even a temporary rise above 1.5°C can leave lasting damage to Earth’s ice: UNEP–ICCI report shows how cutting emissions & bringing temperatures back down can limit ice loss & slow sea-level rise. Some impacts still can't be reversed on human timescales.

The TRANSIENCE project wants to hear from policymakers, industry representatives, researchers and intermediaries working on climate, energy and industry on how modelling results should reach them. 👉 Take the anonymous survey:

RT @PIK_Klima: 🆕 Climate change is increasingly threatening human health, while the global response continues to fall short. The 2026 The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, highlights growing health risks worldwide, with contributions from PIK scientists. ➡️

RT @PIK_Klima: „Mutter Erde sendet uns sehr deutliche Signale, dass es genug ist. Sie verliert ihre Fähigkeit, Schocks abzufedern. Sie beginnt zu wanken.“ Interview PIK-Direktor @jrockstrom @focusonline zum extremen Sommer 2026 und zur Verschärfung der #Klimakrise. 👇

In 2024, Earth’s average surface temperature surpassed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. “The warming is accelerating, which is a really worrying sign,” says PIK Director @jrockstrom. What does this mean for the stability of our planet?

🌱 Plant diversity helps grasslands adapt to climate change. A study by PIK and Kiel University shows what could be lost if diversity declines sharply, highlighting the importance of preserving diverse meadows and pastures. 👉️

The state of nature and #Climate: Where do we stand? Our Director @jrockstrom has been at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik this month, delivering an update on #PlanetaryBoundariesScience & what policymakers should know about #GlobalWarming. 👇

Central Asia is warming particularly fast, leading to 85% less glacier volume by 2100 & water scarcity. First comprehensive climate impact assessment for all 5 countries. Book with 86 authors, coordinated by lead editor and PIK researcher Iulii Didovets.

Even if every country delivers its climate pledges, the world is on track for around 2.6°C of warming by 2100, says the new UN Emissions Gap Report. PIK’s @jrockstrom warns the damage could be greater still: if the US steps back, others may follow.

The gap is stark: the new UN Emissions Gap Report finds that global emissions must fall 18% by 2030 and 45% by 2035, alongside a scale-up of carbon removal, to minimise 1.5°C overshoot and return below 1.5°C by 2100. 2 chapters were led by PIK scientists.

“I have worked on the AMOC for more than 30 years. I’m increasingly worried”, states PIK scientist @rahmstorf. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) carries warm water northward. #climatechange is putting this ocean circulation at risk. 👉

The next Global Tipping Points Conference comes to Potsdam & Berlin, 24–28 May 2027! Thank you to the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health for hosting GTPC2026. We look forward to welcoming the tipping points community to Germany. GTPC2027 website:

RT @PIK_Klima: Klimapolitik schafft neues Vermögen: Unsere gestern publizierte Studie ( wurde vielfach in den Medien aufgegriffen, z. B. hier:

“We are now in a supercharged El Niño,” explains PIK Director Johan Rockström, stating that even more extreme events could lie ahead in the coming months. This can already be felt in extreme events in tropical regions.

A world map of #ClimatePolicy: Who stands to gain most? A PIK study now shows, for 169 countries, how the fight against global heating affects national assets – and what this means for international climate cooperation. Read here about the five clusters:

"Among the 16 tipping point systems, the AMOC is probably to be considered the poster child of security risk. It is potentially very close to weakening and shutting down and it would have these cascading impacts across the entire planet." - Johan Rockström