Preserving Our Basis of Life

Living conditions on Earth are changing as profoundly as never before: Change of climate and the environment, demographic, technical, and economic developments affect the availability and quality of air, water, and food. The KIT Climate and Environment Center develops strategies and technologies to preserve our natural basis of life. It is not only aimed at eliminating the causes of environmental problems, but increasingly at adapting society and the environment to changing conditions. For this reason, the KIT Climate and Environment Center with its about 700 scientists from 30 institutes acquires fundamental and application knowledge on climate and environmental change. The wide expertise in scientific, engineering, and social science disciplines at KIT is an important advantage in water and biodiversity research as well as in all areas of environmental research. The KIT Climate and Environment Center is a dialog platform and think tank of scientists for cross-institute cooperation on pressing issues of the environment and climate system.

Research Highlights

Civil engineers, geoscientists, meteorologists, and remote sensing experts develop strategies for the protection of land and freshwater resources in the Mekong delta within the Vietnam Water Technologies Project. Work is aimed at securing in the long term the basis of life of this economically important region. How does the structure of a landscape affect processes in the water cycle? This is analyzed by the DFG-funded research group CAOS. Atmosphere researchers use the spectacular AIDA cloud chamber to study the formation of clouds and their influence on weather and climate. Findings serve to improve precipitation forecasts and climate and weather models. To better understand the interaction of climate and vegetation, the RESPECT research group studies processes in the tropical rainforest of South Ecuador. There, researchers document the impacts of anthropogenic environmental changes on the ecosystem and species diversity.