Mission - Profile - History
Our mission
The Wegener Center combines climate, environmental and socio-economic research from the global to the regional level. We contribute to the understanding of climate and global change, the socio-economic drivers and impacts of climate change and mitigation, and the transition to a low-carbon future.
We monitor, analyze and model the physical climate system as well as socio-economic processes and identify pathways for the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society.
In teaching, we offer a unique Master's program on Climate Change and Transformation Science and strengthen studies in environmental systems science, physics and economics.
Through active outreach, we communicate our research findings to the public, interact with stakeholders and inform decision-makers.
Our profile
The Wegener Center is an interdisciplinary institute at the Faculty of Environmental, Regional and Educational Sciences (URBI) with partner institutes at the Faculties of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Economics and Humanities. As such, we combine the university's expertise in the research field of climate change, environmental change and global change.
We bring together research teams and scientists from different fields, such as geophysics and climate physics, meteorology, geography, economics, social and complexity sciences. At the same time, we maintain and develop close relationships with many national and international partners.
Our research ranges from the monitoring, analysis and modeling of climate and environmental change to the study of the impacts of climate change and the analysis of the human dimensions of these changes in the context of mitigation, adaptation and transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society.
We are a key institute in the Field of Excellence Climate Change Uni Graz profile area, which we co-initiated and which comprises around twenty research groups from the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. At national level, we support the network Climate Change Center Austria (CCCA) and the Commission for Climate and Air Quality (KKL ) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) in leading roles. Internationally, we collaborate with many leading research centers, contribute to the IPCC, the WCRP lighthouse activities and core programs and are a member of several international bodies and committees that help shape the international research agenda.
High potential
Researchers from several institutes at the University of Graz, both from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, have achieved significant expertise in various areas of climate change and global change research since the 1990s.
Establishment as a center
Building on this and in order to exploit the potential arising from bringing together the various climate-related activities, the University of Graz, with the support of the City of Graz, establishes the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change as an interdisciplinary, internationally oriented research center. This is based on a very positive international concept review commissioned by the Rectorate in 2004 (5 foreign reviewers). The official foundation followed on 01.03.2005.
From center to institute
The Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change was established as an institute in accordance with Section 13 of the organization chart with effect from 01.01.2013 in a new long-term form by resolution of the Rectorate on 08.11.2012. At almost the same time, the Wegener Center moved from Leechgasse 25 to Brandhofgasse 5.
Stimulating environment
The Wegener Center brings together researchers from fields such as geophysics and climate physics, meteorology, economics, geography and regional research under one roof. Five research groups provide space and a stimulating environment for around fifty scientists, mostly young researchers (graduate students, doctoral candidates, postdocs). In addition, around twenty scientists are closely associated with the Wegener Center as so-called long-term affiliated partners. More than two dozen research projects ensure good and productive scientific work.
Head
Gottfried Kirchengast, who outlined the first ideas for a "Climate Center at the University of Graz" back in 1998, was able to get this idea off the ground in 2003 when he was appointed to the Chair of Geophysics at the University of Graz ( Alfred Wegener's chair), together with many helpers. In 2005, together with the economist Karl Steininger as the main scientific partner, he founded the Wegener Center as an interdisciplinary center of the University of Graz, which was elevated to the status of an institute in 2013. The institute was headed by Andrea Steiner from 2019 to 2023, and since 2023 by Karl Steininger with Ilona M. Otto as his deputy.