The current debate on climate loss and damage makes it obvious that addressing the manifold effects of climate change is a challenge that requires concerted efforts from scientists and practitioners speaking very different languages. Physical scientists may quantify past and possibly future climatic developments and hazard process chains, but it falls to political scientists and economists to translate those findings into practicable policy goals and action plans. Even this may not be enough: when decision makers meet at high-level events like the recent COP27 in Egypt, even the most undeniably prudent measures may fall to gain traction if they are detached from normative values and historical considerations, including those bearing on the power of vested interests, countries' colonial pasts, problematic political structures, and conflicting ideologies.
The University of Graz's new Climate Change Field of Excellence is welcoming three academics as part of its first cohort of postdoctoral fellows who come from diverse fields -- physical geography, economics, and political philosophy -- and have a wide range of experience in working on climate change science, economics, policy, and ethics. On December 6th, they will be discussing the interdisciplinary elements of their (current and future) research, as well the ways in which their respective fields might benefit from further cross-disciplinary engagement.
You can find information on the fellows in the news section: Die ersten Fellows sind da! as well as under: Post-Doc Fellows
Timetable for the Fellow Day at Sitzungszimmer 15.21., RESOWI:
- 10:00 - 10:25 Jacob Steiner: 'Climate risks in high mountain Asia - from field data collection to intergovernmental negotiations'
- 10:30 - 10:55 Timothy Foreman: 'Combining climate science and economics to estimate losses due to climate change-linked natural disasters'
- 11:00 - 11:30 Coffee Break
- 11:30 - 11:55 Ross Mittiga: 'Developing and applying a distinctively political conception of climate catastrophe'
- 12:00 - 12:30 Q&A with the audience
- from 12:30 meet and greet the fellows (food, drinks and coffee will be provided)
Moderation: Harald Stelzer, Research Manager Field of Excellence Climate Change Uni Graz