Headline: News 2013

<p>Global population growth and the impacts of climate change lead to a serious overuse of natural resources and thus to far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and people. To ensure water, energy and food security in the long term, a nexus perspective, i.e. a holistic view of these issues, is essential. So far, the resource water has been at the core of the nexus.</p>

<p>From June 15-21, 2013, the Council for Sustainable Development invites to the “German Sustainability Action Week” to make the nationwide commitment to sustainability publicly visible. More than 130 institutions have already signed up to show the different facets of the topic. The IASS participates with a lecture and discussion series during the action week:</p><p>June 18, 2013: 7pm – 8.30pm<br /><strong>Panel discussion „Energy transition on site – Opportunities and Challenges for Potsdam and Brandenburg”</strong></p>

<p>What does a mobile phone consist of? Is it possible to forecast not only the weather but also the quality of air? CO₂ – what does it have to do with my life?</p>

<p>Climate Engineering – the planetary-scale intentional intervention in the climate system to counter global climate change and its side effects – is gaining importance in scientific and public discussions around the world. Against this background, the German Research Foundation (DFG) initiated a <a href="http://spp-climate-engineering.de/startseite.html" target="_blank">priority program (SPP 1689)</a> on examining the risks and side effects of climate engineering.</p>

<p>On occasion of the Green Week 2013 on May 21, 2013, the IASS project <a href="http://climpol.iass-potsdam.de" target="_blank">ClimPol</a> together with the Deutsche <a href="http://www.duh.de" target="_blank">Umwelthilfe</a> and the <a href="http://www.eeb.org/" target="_blank">European Environmental Bureau</a> organized the conference “<a href="http://climpol.iass-potsdam.de/events/air-quality-and-climate-change-policies-separate-or-joint-challenges" target="_blank"><em>Air Quality and Climate Change Policies – Separate or Joint Challenges?</em></a>“ within the context of</p>

<p>In the course of a three day conference on <strong>“The Ethical Challenges of Climate Engineering”</strong> from <strong>22^nd to 24^th of May 2013</strong> hold by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, there will also be the possibility to discuss challenges and problems of the governance of CE research as well as possible deployments from different parts of the world (e.g. Europe, USA, Australia, Asia) with leading experts in normative theory, environmental ethics and philosophy will answer your questions.</p>

<p>The culture of the Kogi is one of the most original and traditional cultures of Colombia and throughout South America. Based on the insight that man is nature, the Kogi plan the construction of their villages and the esablishment of their business through ceremonial “agreements” with the history of the territory, the animate and inanimate nature of the respective location and with “the heart of the earth”.</p>

<p>The current debate about the social acceptability of the energy transition needs to be more objective, otherwise it threatens to bring distress upon the “collaborative work of the energy transition”. Such is the claim of a Working Group Report issued by the <a href="http://www.iass-potsdam.de/research-clusters/global-contract-sustainability/transformation-processes/transdisciplinary-panel" target="_blank">Transdisciplinary Panel on Energy Change (TPEC)</a> at the Institute for Adavanced Sustainability Studies (IASS).</p>