Minister visits research stations on Svalbard
The Arctic region is particularly hard hit by climate change and can be seen as an early warning system for global warming. To learn more about the specific impacts of climate change and the research work being conducted in the region, Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks is visiting Svalbard from 11 to 15 July. Her trip to the Norwegian Arctic is being conducted in cooperation with the Norwegian environment ministry.
Minister Hendricks remarked: "The Arctic region is particularly hard hit by climate change. Whether it is the above-average rise in air temperatures, receding glaciers, thawing permafrost soils or melting sea ice - all these impacts are already clearly visible everywhere. But it is not only this region that is affected. There are also repercussions for us, some of which are caused by rising sea levels. Researchers also believe that there may be a connection between extreme weather situations in Europe, such as those experienced in Germany this June, and melting snow and ice cover in the Arctic."
The minister will meet with German and international scientists working on fundamental environmental and climate research at University Center Svalbard (UNIS) in Longyearbyen and in Ny Alesund. The German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and other international research institutes in Ny Alesund are making valuable contributions to expanding our knowledge of climate change and its impacts. The Director of the AWI, Professor Karin Lochte, is accompanying Minister Hendricks on her trip.