In his lecture, Rob Kitchin addresses a number of political and normative questions related to smart cities. He discusses the ethical values and principles that determine the desirable urban environment we want to create and live in. Therefore, his presentation explores how these measures ensure equal access to technology and decision-making, foster social justice and agency among all citizens. It also examines how these concerns are conceived and operationalised within smart cities around the world. How do these models and visions vary internationally, for example, between Asian and European countries? The final part of the talk will explore the ‘right to the smart city’ and ‘decentering the smart city’. How can these notions be used to create cities that truly prioritise human needs?

During its history, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has undergone many profound changes. The most recent reformation followed the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany in 1989. Many new outstanding professors were appointed from East and West, from Germany and from abroad.

As one of eleven German universities, the Humboldt-Universität was chosen “University of Excellence” in June 2012. It was successful in all three funding lines in the third round of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments and awarded for its future concept “Educating Enquiring Minds: Individuality – Openness – Guidance”. In an international comparison, Humboldt- Universität ranks among the top ten of German universities. Scientists here research socially relevant topics and challenges of the future and communicate these with the public. Humboldt-Universität invests all its energy in being a place of excellent research and teaching. It’s aim is to promote young talents and to positively influence society and the economy outside the university framework.

The Planetary Boundaries offer a framework to consider sustainable development in a way that respects the ecological resilience of the Earth while re-thinking social and economic development based on ecosphere integrity.

Planetary boundaries define the scientific targets for a stable Earth system. Businesses, countries, and communities increasingly recognize that socio-economic development in the Anthropocene - when human pressures on Earth pose rising global risks - must occur within scientifically defined boundaries, establishing a safe-operating space on Earth.

SDGs within Planetary Boundaries suggest a pathway towards a world in 2050 in which a ‘good life for all’ – humanity and non-human species – is possible.

With: Prof. Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The institutes’ mandate is the interdisciplinary investigation of all relevant aspects of modern marine sciences, from sea floor geology to marine meteorology. Research is conducted worldwide in all oceans and adjacent seas.

The institute has four major research divisions:

• Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics
• Marine Biogeochemistry
• Marine Ecology
• Dynamics of the Ocean Floor.

GEOMAR cooperates closely with the University of Kiel in the education of future marine scientists. Curricula include “Physics of the Earth System: Meteorology – Oceanography – Geophysics” for the Bachelor’s degree and internationally oriented Master’s courses such as “Climate Physics: Meteorology and Physical Oceanography” and “Biological Oceanography.” The institute also provides additional contributions to other curricula, such as Geology and Geophysics. GEOMAR also has cooperative programmes with other universities around the world, and special programmes for pupils and teachers aim to stimulate interest in the marine sciences at an early stage.

In addition, the institute operates three research vessels, state-of-the-art equipment such as the manned submersible JAGO, the deep-sea robots ROV KIEL6000, PHOCA and ABYSS as well as several major laboratories, access to high-performance computing facilities and an attractive public aquarium.

Since end of 2017, GEOMAR operates a science and logistic station on the Cap Verdean Islands, the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo.

GEOMAR is among the three leading institutions in the field of marine sciences in Europe. Jointly with the National Oceanography Centre in the United Kingdom and Ifremer in France, GEOMAR has established the “G3 group” of national marine research centres. 

GEOMAR cooperates with a number of small companies active in marine technology and science, some of which were founded by former staff members of the institute. 

In addition, GEOMAR is active in a number of national and international committees and strategic alliances such as the German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM), the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM), the German Climate Consortium (DKK), the European Marine Board and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO).

• AWI: Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research
• DLR: German Aerospace Center
• FZJ: Forschungszentrum Jülich
• GEOMAR: GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
• GFZ: Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences
• HZG: Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht, Centre for Materials and Coastal Research
• KIT: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
• UFZ: Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research

The platform is coordinated at Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences.

The eskp.de website vividly conveys knowledge on the central topics of natural hazards, climate change, pollutants and the effects of the energy turnaround on the environment in the form of scientific articles, interviews, video clips, science GIFs, information graphics and more.

ESKP processes research findings for society. The range of expertise in the Research Area Earth and Environment allows complex topics to be examined from different perspectives and to be presented as a whole, in particular via the format of the “Themenspezial” (currently only in German). The contributions also point out open questions as an impulse back into the science community and provide action options. The aim is to improve the basis for decision-making in politics and society.

In detail, the team of authors examined the regulation scenario "REG", the carbon pricing scenario "CPRICE" and the mixed scenario "MIX". Evaluation criteria were short-term feasibility and long-term goal achievement. As a result, the two dozen or so experts recommended that the European Union should consistently use carbon pricing as the core instrument of climate policy. According to the paper, the ambitious climate goal will be missed if policymakers choose the path of least resistance.

At first glance, the familiar mix of instruments seems to be the easiest path to take, but in the long run it may involve risks. It will only work if the instruments and enforcement mechanisms are well coordinated. Otherwise, measures can hinder each other and will not have the desired effects. According to the Ariadne report, it is better to align the instruments and measures with the carbon price, and at the same time organise a continuous adaptation process.

The Ariadne energy transition project guides through a joint learning process with politics, business, and society. It also researches options for energy transition, and provides political decision-makers with important orientation knowledge.

Further information:

The Ariadne press release on the new Ariadne Dossier can be found here (English). The Ariadne Dossier itself (in German) can be found here.

ICAP facilitates cooperation between countries, sub-national jurisdictions and supranational institutions that have established or are actively pursuing carbon markets through mandatory cap and trade systems. 

Founded in 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal, by leaders of more than 15 governments, ICAP provides the opportunity for member jurisdictions to share best practices and discuss ETS design elements with a view to creating a well-functioning global carbon market through linking ETS.

The work of ICAP focuses on the three pillars of technical dialogue, ETS knowledge sharing and capacity building activities.

Speakers:

Luca Lo Re (IEA),

Hugh Salway (BEIS, UK),

Yongsik Choi (Korea),

Marta Martinez (Iberdrola),

Ana Quelhas (EDP).

Moderated by William Acworth (ICAP Secretariat).

The Methodological Convention for Estimating Environmental Costs 3.0 included a large number of parameters to calculate the costs of environmental pollution. This included the costs of restoring damaged building and infrastructures, of the market value of crop losses and production losses, as well as the sum which people would be prepared to pay for the avoidance of damage to their health. The Methodological Convention 3.0 helps to compare and contrast the costs of environmental pollution and the costs of environmental protection.

Why participate? - to learn about Space opportunities in H2020 and beyond - to get to know the new Horizon 2020 Space Work Programme - to get an idea of the next EU Framework Programme (Horizon Europe) - to meet potential partners for the open space Call

Target groups - Companies - Universities - Research Institutes - other organisations

Topics - Earth Observation - Space technologies - EGNSS - Secure and safe space environment - Space business Join this opportunity to learn about the H2020 Space Call 2019, meet inspired and motivated people and develop ideas for future projects!

“Currently we have a twofold problem,” explains lead author Max Franks from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK): “There is a huge underprovision of basic necessary public goods such as public health systems, access to schools and clean water. On the other hand greenhouse gas emissions are still rising and there is an overuse of the atmosphere, a global common good, as a disposal space for these emissions”. So far, the two problems have mostly been dealt with separately. “But if you look at both climate and sustainable development policies at the same time, it turns out that carbon pricing could indeed address both problems simultaneously and effectively,” Franks says.

The Paris climate agreement obliges the international community to limit global warming to two degrees. However, man-made greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase instead of decreasing. Is climate engineering a solution to slow global warming? In the current issue of the journal Nature, Professor Andreas Oschlies from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel warns of an underestimated long-term risk of solar radiation management, one of the proposed climate engineering measures.

When the Pinatubo volcano erupted in the Philippines in 1991, it blew huge amounts of dust and gases into the atmosphere. Therefore, solar radiation was partly reflected instead of warming the earth's surface. Global average temperatures in the lower atmosphere temporarily dropped by half a degree. So why not copy the volcano by deploying large quantities of aerosols into the atmosphere in order to slow down the current global warming?

This idea is already being discussed internationally and first tests are under way. However, in today's issue of the journal Nature, the biogeochemist Prof. Dr. Andreas Oschlies from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel warns of an often disregarded side effect of so-called Solar Radiation Management (SRM). "Once you start SRM on a large scale, you cannot stop it without significant risks. This has been shown by many computer simulations of the Earth system," he emphasizes.

Reference:

Oschlies, A. (2018): Solar engineering must take temperature debt into account. Nature 554, 423 (2018), https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02203-x