Prof. Anita Engels and Dr. Christopher Heidemann conduct research at the Cluster of Excellence CLICCS in Hamburg. The Hamburg Climate Futures Outlook is a report that identifies ten key factors that are significantly involved in climate change from a sociological perspective. These include, for example, people’s consumption behavior, but also the so-called divestment movement on the financial market. Are these factors pointing in the right direction? Is it plausible, then, that we will meet our climate targets? The Outlook comes to a sobering conclusion.

The experts
Anita Engels is professor of sociology, in particular globalization, environment and society, and co-spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence CLICCS at the University of Hamburg. She is currently analyzing the different strategies of decarbonization and climate protection in companies worldwide.
https://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/fachbereich-sowi/professuren/engels/team/engels-anita.html

Christopher Hedemann is a climate scientist and part of the synthesis team at the CLICCS Cluster of Excellence. He previously completed his doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology. At the end of 2021, he moved to the Scientific Staff of the Expert Council on Climate Issues in Berlin.
https://www.cliccs.uni-hamburg.de/research/synthesis.html

The cluster
“Which climate futures are possible and which are plausible?”. That is the central question of the CLICCS cluster.
The Paris climate agreement from December 2015 has provided a powerful impetus not only for climate policy but also for climate research. To address the resulting new challenges, the Cluster of Excellence “Climate, Climatic Change, and Society” (CLICCS) will establish a long-term program spanning the range from basic research on climate dynamics and climate-related social dynamics to the transdisciplinary exploration of human–environment interactions.
https://www.cliccs.uni-hamburg.de
https://www.cliccs.uni-hamburg.de/de/results/hamburg-climate-futures-outlook.html

The podcast
57 Clusters of Excellence, 1 Podcast. “Exzellent erklärt” reports regularly from one of the research clusters funded under the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. The journey goes right across the country, and the topics are just as diverse as the locations: From A for African Studies to Q for Quantum Physics. Join us again for the next episode and immerse yourself in the exciting world of cutting-edge research!

How to listen
The podcast can be found on all major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Deezer,…), on the podcast website www.exzellent-erklaert.de or listen directly here: