» Sections

• Introduction
• New
• Meetings
• Jobs and Education

» Themes

• Data
• Documents
• UNFCCC
• Climate Research
• Sustainability

» Regions

• International Organisations
• Europe
• North-America
• South-America
• Oceania
• Africa
• Asia

» Federal Institutions

• The Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) (D)
  • National Committee on Global Change Research (NKGCF)
    In fall 1996 Germany's major research funding agency, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF), appointed a new advisory committee to act as the national co-ordinator for the four international Global Change Research programmes. In January 1997 the committee's scientific secretariat was established in Bonn to act as a national contact point and co-ordinating office. As its first major challenge, the committee had been entrusted with the difficult task of critically reviewing the state of the art of the national Global Change Research programmes and of identifying the key issues for future research strategies.
• The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (BML)
• The German Federal Environment Ministry (BMU)
  • German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt UBA)
  • The German Council of Environmental Advisors (SRU)
    The Council of Environmental Advisors as a consultative committee of the German Federal Government has been commissioned to report on the present environmental situation in the Federal Republic of Germany as well as on future trends, analyze harmful developments in this area and indicate possibilities for their avoidance or elimination. According to its task the Council of Environmental Advisors has to prepare a general report (Environmental Report) every two years and present it to the Federal Government.
• German Advisory Council on Global Change
  The German Advisory Council on Global Change (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU)) considers its main task to be the evaluation of scientific knowledge concerning all aspects of global environmental change in the interdisciplinary context of the Earth system, and to formulate recommendations for political action. Furthermore, it aims to promote greater awareness of global implications at all levels by means of education and public relations work.
• Bundesamt für Naturschutz (D)
• German Weather Service: Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) (D)
• Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH)
• Das Deutsche Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ)
  Main duties of this center are to offer computer resources and technical support to climate researcher in Germany. This mainly applies to simulations with large numerical models of the global climate system and related fields as the global change research. The DKRZ is coordinator of the ECCN (European Climate Computer Network), sponsored by the European Commission. Its object is to enable european climate researchers even from smaller european countries to use large computer resources as well as data sets.
• GTZ German Agency for Technical Cooperation
  The "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH" is one of the largest state service organizations for development cooperation in the world, with more than 8,000 employees. In accord with the development policy guidelines of its owner, the Federal Republic of Germany, GTZ works in 135 countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America and in the transition countries of Eastern Europe. Its turnover amounted to DM 1.6 billion in 1995. GTZ, its Head Office in Eschborn near Frankfurt, was founded in 1975.
• Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)
  KfW is Germany's leading promotional bank and plays an active role in the business areas of investment finance, export and project finance, Financial Cooperation with developing countries and also advisory and other services. For KfW the protection of the environment and the climate is therefore a main focus in all projects of Financial Cooperation with developing countries.

» Länder Institutions

• Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie
  The Wuppertal Institute is the first major institute in Germany systematically addressing not only the global ecological challenges but also the complex policy tasks involved in the structural change necessary to meet these challenges. The Institute has been conceived as a body that links research, business and public policy. The Institute was founded in 1991 as a member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Science Centre family of interdisciplinary scientific institutes. It soon became a member of the International Federation of Institutes of Advanced Study (IFIAS) and was a founding member at the Earth Summit of the consortium of Institutes for Sustainable Development.
• Energieagentur NRW
• German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu)
  In 1973 the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu) was founded by the Deutscher Städtetag (German Association of Towns and Cities) with the aim of identifying long-term prospects for urban development and providing expert advice to municipal authorities to help them solve their problems.
• Zentrum für Marine und Atmosphärische Wissenschaften (ZMAW) (D)
• GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences
  The GEOMAR Research Center for Marine Geosciences was established in the fall of 1987. Basic funding is provided by the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, additional support for scientific projects by national and international funding agencies and by the industry. The center is closely associated with Kiel University and has its own administration.
  The research center pursues basic research in the marine environment in the broadest sense. Research themes include the natural processes, which control the origin, composition, and structure of sediments and magmatic rocks as well as anthropogenic influences, which are interfering with the natural cycles. Also "applied" aspects belong to GEOMAR's research efforts: better prediction of consequences of human impact and natural fluctuations on atmospheric and oceanic changes against the background of plate tectonic dynamics with the topics: climatic development, sea-level changes, and natural hazards like volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
• Centre for Marine Environmental Research (MARUM)
  The Alfred-Wegener- Institute for Marine and Polar Research, the Department of Geosciences at Bremen University, the Centre for Marine Tropical Ecology and the Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology work together under the auspices of MARUM, the Centre for Marine Environmental Research. Numerous international projects are carried out with partner institutions from abroad.
• Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT)
  ZMT takes an integrated interdisciplinary approach to ecosystem research and coastal management in tropical coastal areas.
  
• Akademie für Technikfolgenabschätzung in Baden-Württemberg
• Landesanstalt für Umweltschutz Baden-Württemberg
• Ministerium für Landwirtschaft, Umweltschutz und Raumordnung des Landes Brandenburg (D)
• Landesportal Sachsen-Anhalt: Infrastruktur und Umwelt (D)
• Ministerium für Bau, Landesentwicklung und Umwelt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (D)
• Niedersächsisches Umweltministerium (D)
• Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Ökologie (D)
• EXPO2000

» University Institutes

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
  DFG is the central public funding organization for academic research in Germany.
• Meteorological and Oceanographic Institutes in Germany
• Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel
  The Center for Environmental Systems Research applies a systems approach and an interdisciplinary approach to environmental research, with the aim: to increase the understanding of the functioning of environmental systems and the causes of environmental problems, and, to identify „sustainable" pathways into the future, i.e. pathways that allow the development of a society in harmony with nature.
  
• Institute of Environmental Physics of Heidelberg University
• Environmental Research Center (FZU) at the Karlsruhe University
• Centre for Environmental Research of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster
• Fakultät Umweltwissenschaften und Verfahrenstechnik an der BTU Cottbus (D)
• Applied and Socially-Oriented Computer Science, University of Hamburg
  • Technikbewertung und -gestaltung (TA) (D)
  • Umweltinformatik (D)
• Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg Department of Technology Assessment
• Risk Communication/Risikokommunikation (Uni Bremen) (D)
• Forschungsstelle für Umweltpolitik an der FU Berlin (D)
  The Environmental Policy Research Unit (FFU) was set up as an interdisciplinary research institute in 1986 at the Free University of Berlin, where it draws on a tradition of political science research reaching back to the mid-1970s and functions as a coordinator for environmental research in the social sciences. Core research areas: Comparison of environmental policy in industrialised countries; Comparison of environmental modernisation and structural change; Environmental energy policy; Environmental indicators and communication.
• Desaster Research Unit, Kiel (KFS)
  In 1987 the Disaster Research Unit at the Christian- Albrechts-University of Kiel was established as a formal institution. The offspring of sociological disaster research goes back to 1971. At that time the Advisory Board for Civil Defense and Mass Emergencies to the German Ministry of the Interior, the "Schutzkommission", decided to include the social and psychological aspects of human behavior in extreme stress situations into its work.
• Arbeitskreis Geographische Energieforschung

» Research Centers

• Hermann von Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers (Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren) or HGF
  Sixteen major research centers in the Federal Republic of Germany belong to the HGF. They play an essential part in government-sponsored programs in energy research and technology, basic nuclear research,transport and traffic systems, aeronautical and space research, data processing and information technology, oceanology and geosciences, environmental protection and health, medicine and biology as well as polar research.
  • Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
    The AWI in Bremerhaven is the German national research centre for Polar and Marine research.
    • AWI-Potsdam
  • GKSS Research Center
    • Institute for Atmospheric Physics
    • Institute of Hydrophysics (D)
  • GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam (GFZ)
    As the first of its kind worldwide, the GFZ combines all solid earth science fields including geodesy, geology, geophysics, mineralogy and geochemistry, in a multidisciplinary research centre. The main objectives are: Research on global geoscientific questions and Joint research with universities and other research institutes on a national and international basis.
  • Forschungszentrum Jülich
    • Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere (ICG)
    • Programme Group Humans, Environment, Technology (MUT)
  • Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe
    • Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research
    • Aerosols and Heterogeneous Chemistry in the Atmosphere (AIDA)
    • Institute for Atmospheric Environmental Research (IFU)
  • Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle (UFZ) (D)
• Science Association Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (WGL, former: Science Association Blaue Liste, WBL)
  • Institut für Ostseeforschung Warnemünde (Baltic Research Institute)
  • Institute for Tropospheric Research Leipzig
  • Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
    The PIK was founded in 1992. Its mission is to investigate the consequences of global climate change as a paradigm for the unfolding fundamental crisis between the ecosphere and the human society.
  • Social Science Research Center Berlin (Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, WZB)
    The WZB was founded in 1969 by representatives of the political parties in the German Bundestag. It is structured as a nonprofit corporation with limited liability. The Federal Republic of Germany and the Land Berlin have been shareholders and funders since 1976. Basic social science research is conducted at the WZB in selected problem areas under the general theme of "Developmental Trends, Problems of Adaptation, and Possibilities for Innovation in Modern Democratic Societies." The interlinkage of basic research and practical relevance is expressed in the scientific work of the research units, research groups, and research professorships.
  • Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW)
    The ZEW's duty is to carry out economic research, economic counselling and knowledge transfer. The institute focuses on decision-makers in politics, economics, and administration, scientists in the national and international arena as well as the interested public. Regular interviews on the situation on the financial markets and business-related service providers as well as large-scale annual studies on technological competitiveness of and innovation activities in the economy are representative of the different types of topical information provided by the ZEW.
    
    • Climate Platform
      The goal of ZEW's research is to give recommendations for policymakers and decision-makers in the private sectors how to develop the climate policy regime properly. Therefore, ZEW combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches and participates actively as an observer in international climate negotiations.
      
• Max-Planck-Institutes
  • Max-Planck-Institut für Chemie in Mainz
    • Department of Atmospheric Chemistry
  • Max-Planck-Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg
    The general scientific aim of the three sections (Physics of the Atmosphere, Physics of the Oceans & Climate Dynamics and Theoretical Climate Modelling) is the examination and understanding of climate processes with their variability and interactions and in developing methods of climate predictability. The methods used in this context range from remote sensing to global climate modelling.
• The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
  • Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI)

» Independent Institutes

• Öko-Institut
  The mission of the Oeko-Institut (Institute for Applied Ecology) is to analyze and evaluate current and future environmental problems, and to develop and implement strategies and models for sustainable solutions, i.e. solutions which are ecologically sound, socially equitable and economically viable. Research at the Oeko-Institut encompasses the levels of basic research, conceptual development and implementation, as well as advisory and consultancy activities, and outreach to the media.
• Ecologic
  Ecologic is a not-for-profit institution for applied environmental research and policy consultancy, seated in Berlin. Ecologic conducts implementation-focused research projects and prepares expert opinions on a range of issues relating to nature conservation and environmental protection. Ecologic is member of the network of Institutes for European Environmental Policy Network (IEEP)

» NGO's

• Greenpeace (D)
• one world web - the place of sustainability
• German NGO Forum on Environment & Development
• .umwelt.org Ein Forum für die Umweltbewegung (D)
• Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern)
• Deutsche Meteorologische Gesellschaft (German Meteorological Society)
• The Association for Environmental Earthsciences
  The Association for Environmental Earthsciences (german: Gesellschaft für UmweltGeowissenschaften, GUG ) lobbies for all applied branches of Geosciences which deal with environmental problems. The association was founded in November 1993 under the auspices of the German Geological Society (DGG).

» Projects and Research Programs

• Deklim: German Climate Research Programme
  The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched a new Climate Research Programme which supports the National Climate Protection Programme and the Federal Government's Sustainability Strategy. DEKLIM's key major aims are the increased integration of the results of German research in the international assessment of climate development (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change/IPCC) and providing basic know-how and guidance in the field of practical climate protection measures. DEKLIM is organised in four major research areas: Paleoclimate Research, Regional Process Studies in the Baltic Sea Area, Climate Variability and Predictability, and Climate Impact Research
  
• Project Management Environmental and Climate Research for the BMBF
• Projektträger des BMBF (Umweltsystemforschung etc.) (D)
• DFG Priority Program "Mensch und globale Umweltveränderung"
  This is the first research programme in Germany on the human dimensions of global environmental change. Within this programme problems of global environmental change are investigated under the perspective of social and behavioral sciences. As present environmental changes are anthropogenous to a large extent, those sciences play an important role in research and with regard to the containment of risky environmental changes.
• DFG-Sonderforschungsbereich 275 (D)
  Klimagekoppelte Prozesse in meso- und känozoischen GeoÖkosystemen
• Projektzentrum Ökosystemforschung Kiel (PZ) (D)

» Datasources

• German Environmental Information Network
  The German Environmental Information Network (GEIN) consolidates a wide range of information currently distributed across many different Web sites run by public institutions in Germany, such as environmental authorities, agencies and ministries at the federal and Land (state) levels. It thus acts as an information broker for environmental information in Germany. GEIN joins together 48 suppliers of environmental information from governmental authorities and other public institutions at the federal and Land levels.
  
• Das Zentrale UmweltDaten-InformationsSystem ZUDIS
  The "Yellow Pages" on German Environmental and Climate Data Directories.
• Model and Data group (M&D) at the Max-Planck-Institut für Meteorologie in Hamburg
  Group's mission is to provide central support for the German and European climate research community. Emphasis is on application of climate models and climate data.
  
• Climate Informationsystem (KLIS) of the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD)
• PANGAEA
  PANGAEA is an information system aimed at archiving, publishing and distributing data from Global Change research with special emphasis on geological, marine and environmental sciences. Data is stored with related metainformation in a relational database, accessible through a client/server system. Data sets can be downloaded through links related to projects, institutes, publishers or principal investigators. The search enginge PangaVista allows to search through the content of PANGAEA by any given keyword. The Advanced Retrieval Tool (ART) enables the user to retrieve and download data with individual configuration.
  
• The information highway to the global Environment (IHGE)
• "HGF Umwelt" Broker
• Information systems and archives for environmental data at centres of the HGF
• DAIN Metadatabase of Internet Resources for Environmental Chemicals
  This resource is designed to help you finding relevant databases for environmental chemicals worldwide. You can search the database by name or by subject. The subject search provides several structured search formats.
• The German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD)
  The German Remote Sensing Data Center (Deutsches Fernerkundungsdatenzentrum) DFD acts as a national infrastructure for remote sensing (especially earth observation) and focuses on the tasks acquisition of data, user oriented pre-processing, archiving and data storage, non-commercial data distribution and promotion of remote sensing applications.
• Wattenmeer Informationssystem (WATiS)
• Umweltdatenkatalog (Environmental Data Catalogue)
  The "Umweltdatenkatalog (UDK)" (= environmental data catalogue) is an information system for locating environmental information residing with public authorities. The UDK informs about "who" has "where" "what kind" of information. In Germany, the development of the UDK is based on a formal agreement between the federal level and 14 states (Bundeslaender). This Website allows to start a parallel query in the UDK´s of all co-operation partners.
• Umweltatlas Hessen (D)
  Environmental Atlas of Hesse

» Publications and Documents

• Annual Reports of the WBGU
• Wuppertal Bulletin on Ecological Tax Reform

» International Institutions and Projects Located in Germany

• Climate Change Secretariat, Bonn
• International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)
• United Nations University - Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)
  UNU-EHS addresses risks and vulnerabilities which are the consequence of complex –both acute and latent- environmental hazards. It aims to improve the in-depth understanding of the cause-effect relationships to find possible ways to reduce risks and vulnerabilities. The institute is conceived to support policy and decision makers with authoritative research and information. UNU-EHS explores through policy-relevant research the consequences of natural and man-made environmental hazards and long-term changes due to unsustainable practices in human society.