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The Climate Service Center (CSC) Hamburg, Germany. Status and Objectives: Feb. 2010 Guy P. Brasseur. Vision.
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The Climate Service Center (CSC)Hamburg, Germany Status and Objectives: Feb. 2010 Guy P. Brasseur
Vision • To be a reliable source of climate information, presented in a compelling and effective way to reach large and influential audiences, and to build capacity to anticipate, plan for, and adapt to climate change.
Objectives (1) • Understand the magnitude and patterns of multi-scale climate change and its impacts; • Provide state-of-the-art global and regional projections of climate changes; • Assess the impacts of climate change on the environment and human society; • Evaluate their economic and social implications;
Objectives (2) • Assess mitigation and adaptation strategies, and develop policy and business solutions; • Deliver and communicate to decision makers and to the general public factual problem-oriented information on climate changes and its impacts on society; • Evaluate and strengthen educational and capacity-building strategies to help address climate change.
Management (1) • The Climate Service Center, located in Hamburg, Germany, is a national institution financially supported by the federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and operated by the GKSS Research Center in Geesthacht (Helmholtz Association). • It is administered by a Steering Committee that is composed of representatives of the 3 Ministries of Education and Research, Environment, and Transportation, and is led by the CSC Director
Management (2) • The Center includes about 20 staff supported by a 5-year BMBF grant, and additional staff supported by different externally funded projects. • The Center is organized around several Departments: (1) Geo-physical System; (2) Geo-ecological System; (3) Socio-economic System; and (4) Information, Communication, Education.
Partnerships (1) • The Climate Service Center focuses on the interactions between science and society. • It develops strong partnerships with decision-makers in business and industry, non-governmental organizations, and local, national, and international governmental bodies and agencies. • It works closely with universities, environmental research and assessment programs, government laboratories, and other international and national research institutions.
Partnerships (2) • CSC develops active interactions with stakeholders who can benefit from the knowledge provided by CSC. • CSC develops decision-making processes and decision-support mechanisms to help ensure effective applications of science to societal needs. • CSC acts as a facilitator, an integratorand a community builder.
Structure Web portal, PR (sectors, press); organization of interdisciplinary courses and events Project acquisition & development; translation of knowledge for various sectors; organisation of expert panels Data analysis and processing of climate projections (multi-model ensembles) Response to customer inquiries
Management (External Bodies) • Not yet decided by BMBF…. But probably: • Steering Committee with representatives of Ministries and Helmholtz Association • Partner Forum (DWD, MPI-M, Kompass, etc.) • Advisory Panel (ad hoc for specific problems)
Recent Achievements • Signature of a cooperation agreement with the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau (SMB) focusing on climate services • Discussion about our participation in the Klimawoche in Hamburg • Participation in the visit of Frau Prof. Dr. Schavan, Minister of Science, in Washington (workshop at NSF) • Visit to several Länder (Sachsen, South German Länder, etc.) • Meeting with the Regional Klimabüros and Kompass/UBA.
Recent Achievements • Preliminary discussions for extension of CSC network (PIK, GFZ, UFZ, AWI, etc.) • Belmont Challenge (ICSU) • Links with the Hamburg Planetarium • Session at the Summer AGU Assembly (Brazil) on climate Services • COSMOS Project (Prof. Claussen) • Meeting of the European Global Change Forum (industry, NGO) at CSC in March
Possible Initiatives • Study of the trends in the global temperature records by an international group of experts, and publication of a study report. • Workshop on “What after Copenhagen?” • Development of a research project on the prediction of convective events and the related damages in Europe (follow-up of symposium with insurance companies)
Issues (personal perspective, JM) Relationship to German Weather Service (DWD) not yet fully defined (complementarity vs. competition) Funders (BMBF) stress the communication of climate information; CSC role in creating climate information not yet fully defined (e.g., climate projections, decadal climate prediction)