Ottmar Edenhofer

Ottmar Edenhofer

Ottmar Edenhofer in June 2008
Born Ottmar Georg Edenhofer
(1961-06-08) 8 June 1961
Gangkofen, Lower Bavaria, Germany
Nationality German
Occupation Economist
Known for
  • Climate change economics
  • IPCC Working Group III

Ottmar Georg Edenhofer (born in 8 July 1961 in Gangkofen, Lower Bavaria, Germany) is a German economist dealing with climate change policy, environmental and energy policy, and energy economics. Edenhofer currently holds the professorship of the Economics of Climate Change at the Technical University of Berlin. He is deputy director and chief economist of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) as well as director of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC). From 2008 to 2015 he served as one of the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III "Mitigation of Climate Change". Among other functions, he is a member of the group "Climate, Energy & Environment" of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, a member of the Advisory Committee of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) (a joint effort of the Global Green Growth Institute, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Bank), a member of the Forschungsforum Promoter Group Economy, chair of the Euro-CASE Energy Platform, and a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech).

Education

Edenhofer completed his Diploma in Economics with honors at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He belonged the Jesuit Order from 1987–1994 and earned a bachelor's degree in Philosophy with summa cum laude at the Munich School of Philosophy. During this time he also founded an enterprise in the public health sector and lead a humanitarian aid organization in Croatia and Bosnia from 1991–1993. After leaving the Order, Edenhofer worked as a research assistant from 1994–2000 and completed his PhD in Economics with summa cum laude at the Technical University of Darmstadt in 1999 under the supervision of Carlo Jaeger

Career

From 2004 to 2008 Edenhofer was a lead author of the Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007. The IPCC was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year.[1]

Since 2007, Edenhofer is deputy director and chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), co-charing Research Domain III "Sustainable Solutions", which focuses on the scientific research of the economics of atmospheric stabilization. In close cooperation with the research domain’s staff, he formulated the concept of the "Global Deal" for climate protection as well as developing a concept for a transatlantic carbon market.[2] In addition, he supervises several PhD and Diploma students at PIK.[3] He is also in charge of the coordinating various third-party-funded research projects.

Since 2008, Edenhofer holds the professorship for the Economics of Climate Change at the Technical University of Berlin.

From 2008 to 2015 he served as a co-chair of Working Group III "Mitigation of Climate Change" of the (IPCC). He was a lead author of the Fifth Assessment Report on Climate Change published by the IPCC in 2014. In 2012 he became director of the newly founded Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC).

Other activities

Among other engagements, Edenhofer holds the following unpaid or paid honorary positions:

Besides his teaching and research activities, Edenhofer actively contributes to public debates about political climate protection measures in Germany and the European Union.

Research interests

Edenhofer's research explores the impact of induced technological change on mitigation costs and mitigation strategies, the value capture and distribution of of land rents,[5] and the design of instruments for climate and energy policy. He specializes in the economics of atmospheric stabilization, social cost-benefit analysis, land value tax,[6] sustainability theory, economic growth theory, environmental economics, welfare theory, and general intertemporal equilibrium theory.

Philosophy and position on climate change

Edenhofer says that his interest in philosophy and economics was influenced by his readings of the works of Henry George,[7] Karl Marx, Max Weber, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and John Dewey. Regarding climate change he says: "Denying out and out that climate change is a problem for humanity, as some cynics do, is an unethical, unacceptable position."[8]:304

Edenhofer favours cap-and-trade over a direct carbon tax as the most efficient method to reduce greenhouse emissions and encourage innovation to preserve the climate. He feels strongly that moving the global economy to a low-carbon threshold requires huge increases in the use of renewable energy across all economic sectors.[8]

Fellowships

Publications

See also

References

  1. ↑ Schiermeier, Quirin; Tollefson, Jeff (12 October 2007). "Climate change: a Nobel cause: peace prize awarded to climate scientists and politician filmstar". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2007.164. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  2. ↑ Flachsland, Christian; Luderer, Gunnar; Steckel, Jan; Knopf, Brigitte; Edenhofer, Ottmar (2011). "Chapter 11 — Emissions trading and the global deal". In Gang, Fan; Stern, Nicholas; Edenhofer, Ottmar; Shanda, Xu; Eklund, Klas; Ackerman, Frank; Li, Lailai; Hallding, Karl. The economics of climate change in China: towards a low-carbon economy. Abingdon, UK and New York, NY, USA: Earthscan. pp. 355–390. ISBN 978-1-849-71174-6.
  3. ↑ "Current PhD Students (of Ottmar Edenhofer)". Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  4. ↑ Volkswagen Group appoints international Sustainability Council Volkswagen, press release of September 28, 2016.
  5. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "Hypergeorgism: When is Rent Taxation as a Remedy for Insufficient Capital Accumulation Socially Optimal?". Retrieved 11 November 2013. Edenhofer writes, "Extending and modifying the tenet of georgism, we propose that this insight be called hypergeorgism." "From a historical perspective, our result may be closer to Henry George’s original thinking than georgism or the neoclassical Henry George Theorems."
  6. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "Financing Public Capital Through Land Rent Taxation: A Macroeconomic Henry George Theorem". Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "The Triple Dividend Climate Change Mitigation, Justice and Investing in Capabilities" (PDF). Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  8. 1 2 Schiermeier, Quirin (19 September 2013). "The Climate Chairman" (PDF). Nature. 501 (7467): 304–306. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  9. ↑ "Prof. Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer". Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  10. ↑ "Advisory Committee". Green Growth Knowledge Platform. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  11. ↑ Münchener Rück Stiftung: Vom Wissen zum Handeln — Report 2012 [Munich Re Foundation: from knowledge to action — Report 2012] (PDF) (in German). Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  12. ↑ "Edenhofer to advise "Energiewende Research Forum" — Press release". Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  13. ↑ "Policy advice for EU decision makers: Edenhofer chairs new Energy Platform — Press release". Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
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