The authors present their findings under the title “How science bolstered a key European climate-change case” with six lessons for researchers. This collaborative work is a vivid example of what makes the OCCR unique; collaboration in interdisciplinary teams is not just lip service, but daily reality. “Personally, one of the most enriching experiences of my professional career”, writes Ana Vicedo (Climate change and health group), one of the authors in a Twitter post.
External Advisory Board
The management of the University of Bern has decided that all university centres should have an external Advisory Board. This also applies to the OCCR. The OCCR board will consist of four to five well known scientists not employed at or by the University of Bern.
Thomas Frölicher appointed as full professor
Thomas Frölicher (Ocean Modelling group) has been appointed by the Executive Board of the University of Bern as a full professor of climate and environmental physics as of 1 August 2024. He succeeds Thomas Stocker, who will retire in summer 2024. Thomas Frölicher is a specialist in ocean and climate modelling and has been an SNSF assistant professor at the University of Bern since 2017.
New OCCR Postdoc positions
The OCCR sets its scientific priorities, among other things, by funding Postdoc positions. These priorities are defined in the performance mandate (Leistungsauftrag) of the management of the University of Bern. According to these priorities, the Scientific Committee has approved three new Postdoc positions for the period 2024 - 2026. They are in the areas of "Effects of climate extremes on soil microbial functions”, “Future plants - predicting plant performance and stress resilience under future climate scenarios" and "Urban Climate Bern – Heatmaps for CH2025”. Several OCCR groups are involved in each of the research projects associated with these postdoctoral positions.
EU project on Climate Tipping Points
Several OCCR members at the Climate and Environmental Physics Division will contribute to the new EU-funded HORIZION-RIA project CLIMTIP (Climate Tipping Points). Johannes Sutter, Thomas Stocker, Frek Pöppelmeier and Christoph Raible are part of the project which aims to establish the uncertainty-aware quantification of the Earth system tipping potential using observations and models. Thus, associated climatic, ecological, and socioeconomic impacts will be a focal point of the project.
Past Events
Conference of the European Society for Environmental History
Over the three and a half days, the 18 early career participants got familiarized with some of the challenges and opportunities of adding climate data into historical research through keynote talks and hands on-exercises, led by OCCR members and international experts.
Upcoming Events
Philosophical perspectives for the Anthropocene
Vincent Lam (Philosophy of science perspectives on the climate challenge group) and Georg Brun (Climate ethics and philosophy of climate science group) organize a Colloquium called “Philosophical perspectives for the Anthropocene” with various invited speakers during this fall semester 2023. The sessions take place on Mondays, 16:15-18:00 (Room F-111, Unitobler: Lerchenweg 36) and are open to all interested. Programme.
Climate protection and subsidies: Do we need reforms?
A public conference with the title “Klimaschutz und Subventionen: Braucht es Reformen?” (Climate protection and subsidies: Do we need reforms?) will take place on 20 October 2023, 9:15 at the University of Bern. This event is co-organized by the OCCR and the Institute of public law. Programme and registration.
Global Climate of the Past Six Centuries
On 10 November 2023 at 14:00, a mini symposium will take place to celebrate the end of Stefan Brönnimann’s (Climatology group) ERC project PALAEO-RA – Global Climate of the Past Six Centuries. This event is open to all OCCR members. Programme and registration.
Mobiliar Lab Lecture 2023
The next Mobiliar Lecture will take place on 22 November 2023, at 16:30. Mathias Zesiger, Bundesamt für Landestopografie swisstopo, will talk about „Rapid Mapping - Geodaten für die Bewältigung und Dokumention von Naturereignissen“.
More detailed information.
Next plenary meetings
The next OCCR Plenary Meetings will take place on 12 February 2024 and 10 September 2024. Save the dates! Programme and registration will be made available in due time.
People
Johannes Sutter receives SNF Starting Grant
These substances have significant impacts on air pollution, oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and the global radiative balance. However, our knowledge of the impact of climate changes on natural wildfire activity, and especially on biomass burning emissions prior to the satellite era, is extremely limited.
Lukas Fesenfeld speaks at The Spirit of Bern
Lukas’ talk was on “Paths to the future of nutrition in Switzerland”. "The Spirit of Bern" is a non-profit foundation that aims at facilitating and promoting dialogue between representatives from business, science and politics. To this end, a conference is held once a year at which representatives of the three disciplines address socially relevant topics.
Rodrigo Reis is a new OCCR Associated Member
Johanna Ziegel moves to ETH
Johanna Ziegel (Mathematical and Applied Statistics group) has has been offered a new position at ETH Zürich. She will step down from the OCCR’s Scientific Committee and start in her new position in February 2024.
