Headline: News 2013

<p>The nominees have now been announced for the animago AWARD. Among the candidates for the 2013 awards is the IASS’s animated film “<a href="http://vimeo.com/53618201" target="_blank">Let’s Talk About Soil”</a>, which has been nominated in the category “Best Visualisation”. DIGITAL PRODUCTION magazine has presented the awards to honour excellent digital media productions and visualisations since 1997.</p>

<p>On August 30^th, 2013, Nobel Laureate and IASS Scientific Director Prof. Carlo Rubbia was appointed Senator for life by the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano.</p><p>The <a href="http://www.senato.it/3801">Italian Senate</a> consists of 315 elected members, plus the <em>ex officio</em> life senators (the former Presidents of the Republic) and a number of life senators appointed by the President for their “outstanding achievements in the social, scientific, artistic and literary fields".</p>

<p>Since 23 August 2013, IASS Potsdam has been a member of the <em>pearls – Potsdam Research Network</em>. This interdisciplinary research network links the pearls of Potsdam’s scientific community. The aim of the foundation is to promote science, research, teaching and education in all areas, whereby a particular focus is on initiating and supporting projects and fostering young scientists.</p>

<p>On 1^st of September 2013, the 4^th Potsdam Environment Festival will take place. The IASS Potsdam as well as local initiatives, clubs and actors will exhibit at the event. This year, the IASS booth in the Volkspark will focus on CO₂ and air quality, two main points of the institute's research:</p><p><strong>CO₂ – what does that have to do with me?</strong></p>

<p>Small island states will be among those most affected by climate change impacts like sea-level rise. Efficient solutions to reduce atmospheric CO₂ are needed yet climate engineering is unlikely to be a quick or comprehensive solution. This is one of the key messages of the “First Open Discussion Workshop about Climate Engineering: Perspectives from Pacific Small Island States”. The workshop was jointly organized by the IASS and the Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD) and took place on 21-23 August in Suva, Fiji.</p>

<p>With an interactive CO₂ game, developed at the IASS, visitors of the <a href="http://klimawoche.de/bildungsprogramm/" target="_blank">Hamburg Climate</a> Week can create their personal CO₂ footprint. By doing so, they will   learn how they can personally contribute to a more climate friendly way of living in their everyday lives. „Many of us know CO₂ only as an abstract term or concept from the media and do not have a feeling for how closely CO₂ emissions are connected to our daily lives“, explains Dr.</p>

<p>Civil participation and civil engagement experience a renaissance in recent years. Citizens want to be increasingly involved in political decision-making processes. Protests – such as the protest concerning the railway project “Stuttgart 21” – are also an expression of a fundamental change in the understanding of democracy.</p>

<p>Right on time to his 75^th birthday on 29^th July 2013, Klaus Töpfer´s book <a href="http://www.iass-potsdam.de/research-clusters/global-contract-sustainability-gcs/news/iass-release-change-through-knowledge" target="_blank">“Verändern durch Wissen” <em>(change through knowledge)</em></a> is released. This title can be considered to be the guiding principle of his personal life and work and characterizes his driving motivation: To change our action according to the knowledge we have gathered for the sake of the livelihood of future generations.</p>

<p>Deforestation and unsustainable agricultural land use practices have led to a loss of humus and, thus, carbon in our soils. Can we compensate for these historical losses and enrich soils with carbon? What are impacts of this carbon enrichment on ecosystems, their services and especially us humans?</p>