Paleontology is supported by the Volkswagen Foundation in the initiative “Weltwissen – Kleine Fächer”
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kiessling researches the effects of previous climate disasters on organisms and ecosystems at the Geozentrum Nordbayern in Erlangen. The Volkswagen Foundation supported him with a Lichtenberg professorship from 2006 to 2010, and since 2019 he has been supported in the initiative “World Knowledge – Small Fächers” (see Paleosynthesis).
The IPCC called paleobiologist Wolfgang Kiessling as one of the main authors of the next World Climate Report. An interview about forecasts, parallels and its contribution to combating the climate crisis.
Mr. Kiessling, you’re working on the next global climate report. What exactly is your role?
As the main author of Working Group 2 “Impacts, Adaptation, Vulnerability”, I – along with 260 colleagues from 63 countries and from a wide range of disciplines – gather the current state of research on climate impacts on natural and societal systems. Personally, I am responsible for ensuring that historical aspects of climate impacts are adequately taken into account. Read more