Panel Debate: The State of the Climate

April 23, 2019Byens Lys Copenhagen
State of climate robins choice
Doors open: 19:00
Start programme: 20:00
Byens Lys
Fabriksområdet 99
Copenhagen

The potential impact of climate change and the mitigation of its effects has been discussed for several decades among world leaders, policy makers, scientists and the population as a whole. The effects of climate change in the anthropocene are now visible in a variety of different forms: species extinction, acidic oceans, high concentration of green house gases, sea level rise, droughts, migration, high temperatures, abrupt weather changes, desertification, etc. Yet, despite regular negotiations, an enormous body of scientific research and the increase in public awareness and climate activitism, where do we actually stand?

Integrated in Forskningens Døgn, Science & Cocktails presents a debate on the current state of the climate, whereby moderator and audience can interact with 4 scientists and get to know the actual state of the climate change crisis that permeates politics, economics, agriculture, ecosystems and ice sheets. Kirsten Halsnæs has taken a leading role as an economist in the IPCC panel, Jørgen Olesen studies the effect of climate on agriculture and food systems, Katherine Richardson studies the impact of climate change in the oceans while Jens Hesselbjerg has been head of climate research at the Danish Meteorological Institute. All together, they will present a holistic point of view on the state of the climate on planet Earth. The discussion will be moderated by the science journalists Jais Baggestrøm Koch (videnskab.dk) and Catherine Jex (GEUS).

Afterwards, freely evolving discussions while sipping cocktails with pure carbon-dioxide and listening to Bæst, which drives two baritone guitars, bass and heavy deep drums numbers with the arms of a freight train in the desert sun. Mixed with Twin Peaks-sounding synth and jangly mandolins, Bæst is a band that sounds as if True Widow and Amens Dunes were in a jam session together with vampires from Only Lovers Left Alive.

Climate Debate

Kirsten Halsnæs + Jørgen Eivind Olesen + Katherine Richardson + Jens Hesselbjerg

Panel Debate: The State of the Climate

Despite regular negotiations, an enormous body of scientific research and the increase in public awareness and climate activitism, where do we actually stand?

Debate with

Kirsten Halsnæs

Kirsten Halsnæs is Professor in Climate and Economics at DTU management engineering. Her research has included the development of methodologies for quantitative climate change and sustainable development studies. Kirsten has played a leading role as an economist at the IPCC and holds several leading positions in research councils and committees. These include membership of the Danish Council of Ethics.

Kirsten Halsnaes 2019

Debate with

Jørgen Eivind Olesen

Jørgen Olesen is section manager Professor at the department of agroecology - climate and water - at the university of Aarhus. He has participated in more than 10 EU projects and concerted actions on the effect of climate change on agriculture and on greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities. He is currently involved in three EU projects on climate change: Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock systems; Interaction between climate change and soils; and Novel legume cropping systems.

Jørgen Eivind Olesen

Debate with

Katherine Richardson

Professor in Biological Oceanography, Section for Biodiversity, The Danish Natural History Museum, Faculty of Science and Leader, University of Copenhagen’s Sustainability Science Centre. She was one of the main organisers of the scientific conference Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions, which sought to inform the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference. She is co-PI in The Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate.

Picture 54285

Debate with

Jens Hesselbjerg

Professor of the Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. Former Director of Centre for Regional Change in the Earth System - a virtual centre from the Danish Council of Strategic Research in October 2009 over a period of 5½ years. CLA or LA on WG-I contributions to the IPCC reports TAR, AR4 and AR5 Former head of climate research at the Danish Meteorological Institute.

Jens Hesselbjerg

Moderator

Catherine Jex

Science editor and writer with experience in online publishing, specialising in earth sciences and climate change. Currently employed at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland as the editor in chief of the GEUS Bulletin—an open access, peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online. Previously, Catherine was a research scientist studying how the Earth’s climate has changed over time.

Catherine Jex

Moderator

Jais Baggestrøm Koch

Science journalist and podcast editor at Videnskab.dk. His primary work is the production of their podcasts. His academic background draws on both music and journalism, as he graduated from the Danish Academy of Music and the Danish School of Media and Journalism.

Jais Baggestrøm Koch

Music by

Bæst

Twin-Peaks mixed with vampire-like sound as in Only Loves Left Alive and Danish lyrics.

Bæst