NCCR Clim+: New Centre of Competence in Research
NCCR CLIM+ and the new Center for Climate Extremes and Resilience in Swiss Society (CERESS) will unite expertise from both the natural and social sciences through truly innovative inter- and transdisciplinary research. Together, NCCR CLIM+ and CERESS will inform Swiss policymakers and the public about physical climate risks and develop adaptation solutions that account for societal trade-offs and co-benefits across key sectors. With its unique research consortium, NCCR CLIM+ will support Switzerland's effective transformation towards a more resilient and safer future.
Recent devastating high-impact climate extremes in Switzerland and around the world have highlighted the implications of increasing human-induced climate change. Switzerland is strongly affected, with an observed warming two times larger than mean global warming and with demonstrated rapid changes in climate extremes, including heatwaves, droughts, and heavy precipitation, as well as compound events. In addition, climate disasters across the globe can have indirect but pronounced impacts on Switzerland. Failure to achieve the aims set under the Paris Agreement would further amplify changes in climate extremes and increase the risk of unprecedented events, causing long-term disruptions and repeated societal crises.
NCCR CLIM+ will address emerging research questions on societal transformation in the context of climate change mitigation and societal resilience, in fields ranging from federalism and governance, economics, ethics, and law, to climate communication and behavior changes.
In the context of amplifying changes in climate extremes, the transformations necessary for climate change adaptation and mitigation represent an enormous technical, political, and socio-economic challenge. To tackle this challenge, NCCR CLIM+ will establish the first fully interdisciplinary, Switzerland-wide climate research community, which will interact with stakeholders ranging from public health to finance, agriculture, and water management.
By pooling competence from leading Swiss research institutions across multiple natural and social science disciplines, NCCR CLIM+ will combine fundamental knowledge with transformational knowledge. This unique vantage point allows it to make groundbreaking contributions to both the understanding of climate change challenges and the development of innovative solutions for adaptation and mitigation, while considering interactions between climate change, ecosystems, and society.
Under the lead of ETH Zurich and the University of Bern the newly founded Center for Climate Extremes and Resilience in Swiss Society (CERESS) will connect with numerous further universities and climate centers across Switzerland. CERESS will support nationwide research, co-design living labs, and produce actionable solutions, thus forming a new transdisciplinary nexus between science, society, practice, and politics.
