Press release from the German Climate Consortium
The COVID-19 pandemic suddenly turned our everyday lives upside down. But for climate research, the lockdown also made unexpected experiments possible. Fewer emissions, changed mobility patterns, and political crisis management – all opportunities to collect and evaluate new data. 18 experts from the German Climate Consortium share their varied insights in snapshot form in a new video series. Today, the first contribution from Professor Mojib Latif is released.
Short-time work, blue skies free of contrails, video conferences, a cycling boom – the COVID-19 pandemic has radically disrupted our routines, prompting policymakers to introduce sweeping measures, while businesses and individuals alike are grappling with the consequences. What do these changes mean for climate change and climate policy? Researchers at the member institutions of the German Climate Consortium (DKK) are investigating exactly that. 18 of them share their observations and assessments in the new video series "Real Science, Real Talk – Science on Climate and Corona".
Science-based decisions
Professor Mojib Latif, climate researcher and DKK Chair, talks in his contribution – which kicks off the series today – about what we can learn from the COVID-19 crisis for tackling the climate crisis: "The climate crisis can only be solved by all countries working together. The very politicians who deny climate change – like Trump in America or Bolsonaro in Brazil – are dealing with extremely high infection rates and an incredible number of deaths." The COVID-19 crisis shows that science can deliver new knowledge relatively quickly and then make that knowledge more robust step by step. The crucial question is whether politics and society want to use it as a guide.
The COVID-19 lockdown as a large-scale experiment
But there's much more to learn, because the COVID-19 crisis represents a large-scale experiment for the atmosphere and our society, with the lockdown serving as a tool for gaining new insights: atmospheric researchers are measuring whether and why the air improved, for example in the Rhineland or in China. They explain how significantly CO2 emissions have fallen and why the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere keeps rising nonetheless. Social scientists and humanities researchers are using the pandemic to study the transport transition through real-world experiments, to observe our society in a crisis situation, and to improve science communication. Policy and economics experts are emphasising how important it is to align economic recovery measures with climate protection and to push the European Green Deal forward ambitiously. One thing is clear: the short window of opportunity to keep the climate crisis manageable should be seized.
↗ Watch the new video series on YouTube
"Real Science, Real Talk – Science on Climate and Corona"
Starting today, a new video every weekday on YouTube – subscribe to the DKK channel now and share the videos! 18 experts from renowned climate research institutions speak frankly and offer a behind-the-scenes look at their current work on the COVID-19 and climate crisis. They are all members of the German Climate Consortium (DKK).
- DKK YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/DKKKlimaKonsortium
- All information about the experts, the research projects, and an episode overview can be found online at: www.deutsches-klima-konsortium.de/coronaklima
