Climate and environmental research as a societal responsibility

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Climate change with its causes and consequences is one of the greatest challenges in human history. Each and every one of us is called upon to contribute our own expertise in research, teaching and entrepreneurial activities to the solution of this existential problem, as well as to critically question and adapt our own lifestyles and behaviors.

Article by UTM: At the Technical University of Munich (TUM), the complex of environment – climate – energy – resources has been a research domain for years, which encompasses all areas in an interdisciplinary division: Natural sciences, life sciences and engineering, humanities, social sciences and economics, medicine as well as the TUM locations’ own real estate management. About half of TUM’s professors are involved in research, teaching and international cooperation in the the university’s largest interdisciplinary environmental research focus.
TUM has been contributing all over the world with its expertise and experience for decades, since the 1990s for example with Prof. Holger Magel on land readjustment and land use in Africa, Prof. Peter Wilderer on sustainable water management in Africa and Arabia. At the moment, more than 30 long-term research and infrastructure projects with a financial volume of more than 80 million euros are underway.

“We at TUM have made the major challenges facing all societies around the globe a priority topic that can only be tackled with interdisciplinary approaches and structures,” says President Prof. Wolfgang A. Herrmann on the recently sharpened climate awareness of the German population. “The political decision-makers are on the right track here, particularly Bavaria with Minister President Dr. Söder at the forefront. Environmental and climate protection as well as energy and resource efficiency determine the fate of mankind. Demonstrations do attract public attention,” said the TUM president, ” however, it is the constant daily work that we and others are doing on this complex topic that matters”.

More information:

Selection of current research environmental projects:

• KLIMAGRAD project takes stock
• TUM and Berchtesgaden National Park explore the Alpine ecosystem (in German)
• Study highlights forest growth trends from 1870 to the present
• Sustainable land-use concept for South America
• Study investigates land use concepts in tropical mountain forests
• Wood density of European trees decreasing continuously since 1870
• Study compares dry forest losses due to land use change or global warming
• New system for early detection of plant spread in water bodies
• The response of leaf unfolding phenology to climate warming has significantly reduced
• Alpine Natural Hazards and Perspectives of Prediction (in German)
• Climate change and drinking water, Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Prof. Jörg E. Drewes
• Algorithm improves sea level measurements
• Satellite data makes exact measurement of rising sea levels possible
• Garching laboratory for research on the future of energy now complete
• Project GRETA: Potential of near-surface geothermal resources in the Alpine region
• Matching power plants to ecosystems – an interview with “FIThydro” project manager Peter Rutschmann
• Geothermal Alliance Bavaria: Three universities team up to study the utilisation of geothermal energy
• Baubotanik: Prof. Ferdinand Ludwig explains how living buildings are created
• Using building stock as an intelligent component in the energy transformation
• Guidelines for climate-adapted Bavarian cities published
• Symposium of the Centre for Urban Ecology and Climate Adaptation
• Energy management: Highly intelligent homes of the future
• Interview with Prof. Werner Lang, Chair of Energy-Efficient and Sustainable Building and Planning
• Electric taxi „EVA“ for tropical Megacities
• More power, less wear-and-tear − new control methods to optimize wind farm performance
• OME: Researchers test synthetic fuel
• How algae could sustainably reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere
• Economists map out economically viable path to renewables-based hydrogen production
• Start of the Bavarian Network for Climate Research

environmental

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