Prof. Dr. Bjorn Stevens heads the Department of Climate Physics of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg. His research has promoted the scientific understanding of how atmospheric water vapor, clouds and aerosols influence the climate and climate change on earth. Stevens is one of the most frequently cited scientists in the global area of climate physics and has initiated and managed some of the most influential field studies and modeling initiatives in the past two decades. Stevens has co -established the chapter on clouds and aerosols in the fifth evaluation report Interior committee for climate change (IPCC) and was a common leading coordinator for the World Climate Research Program of the World Climate Research Program for Clouds, Circulation and Climate Sensitivity.
From 1996 to 1998 Stevens was a postdoctoral with the advanced study program in the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. From 1998 to 1999 he received a Humboldt scholarship to carry out research work at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in 1999. And was promoted to full professor in 2007. In 2008 Stevens returned to the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology as Director and Scientist and as managing director for two terms (2011-2014, 2021-2024)
Through his leadership at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and his research, Stevens continues to contribute deeply to the area of climate science and improves the understanding of the atmospheric processes and its effects on global climate change.
Bjorn Stevens will deliver the keynote of ISC 2025 during the week on June 11th at ISC 2025 this year. In his presentation with the title “The new landscape of the climate computer“Stevens will examine how the intersection of climate change and artificial intelligence opens up new markets for climate services.
Nages SislackThe head of ISC communication has obtained him to immerse themselves in this convincing topic. You can personally take this lecture on Wednesday, June 11th, at 5:05 p.m. or from June 13th on the ISC website or look at the demand for free.
Nages Sislack: They call for the idea that we can develop tools and platforms to provide local climate forecasts in the same way as we do offer Weather forecasts today. Can you describe on a high level what this would look like and what types of technologies are required to implement this?
Bjorn Stevens: In the same way as people regularly embed weather information in decisions, from what I should wear, to what I should pack if I should plant, build or play build Climate information on decision -making. It is similar in this sense. Climate information is regularly installed in the decision -making process, for example in the development of infrastructure, agriculture, shipping, illness, energy and water, etc., but this information is based on the tacit assumption that the climate does not change, and therefore often reduces the evaluation of the climate information by the peoples. If the climate Doesn't change, that means that we know it more or less. This assumption fails when the climate changes and we see the consequences almost every day.
On the other hand, scientists regularly used their knowledge of the climate mode to examine how the climate changes under different scenarios. The question we try to speak through initiatives like Eva Creates this to the decision -makers in a way that enables them to take it into account in their decisions.
Nages Sislack: What kind of accuracy could we achieve with today's technologies with local climate forecasts?
Bjorn Stevens: Two things have happened that are Game Changer. We have now been able to examine models that can examine scenarios of climate change on multi-decadal time and on spatial scales that surrender to decision-making. For a decision -maker, it is known that the global temperature is not particularly helpful. They want to know how the temperature changes, how precipitation and dryming will change, and How extreme disorders on the scale of the infrastructures they consider will change, and this is usually on the local landscape scale from kilometers to ten kilometers. In the past, it was not possible to look at changes on these scales to consistent worldwide. Now it is. The other game changer is AI. As we have all experienced, the most amazing ability to translate things that we basically know into things we need. It makes it possible to provide outstanding information from data from data in a way that reacts well to the different types, as users want information and access information.
Nages Sislack: How would climate forecasts not pay for the development of the tools, but the services themselves?
Bjorn Stevens: AI lowers the threshold costs for information systems. Therefore, things that were once too expensive for many people, ie personalized weather forecast systems, were affordable. This aspect opens up new markets. Ai enables us to scale the provision of climate information on similarly opened new markets, which will be strong Explore the possibilities for already burgeoning climate adaptation markets for climate information. At the same time, the services of the public sector, regardless of whether it is early warning systems in countries with low incomes that are infrastructure planning in coordination with international aid or national strategies for environmental management, a second source of income. After all, investing in the development of skills should be regarded as part of industrial policy because it develops capacities.
Nages Sislack: In view of the considerable energy consumption of AI and HPC for the type of climate modeling, about which you are talking about, how do you see the costs/benefits because energy generation makes a significant contribution to climate change?
Bjorn Stevens: Of course, this depends on how you produce energy. There are many and growing examples of sustainable energy generation and use. Room is a good example. Therefore, I see initiatives such as Eva as a way to build and develop energy -intensive but sustainable applications. Instead of doing this,
Nages Sislack: Can you discuss the challenges in the development of the community and the distributed infrastructure that is necessary to implement the type of climate protection services that you discuss, especially taking into account the current controversial state of international affairs?
Bjorn Stevens: As with every new initiative, the challenge is to overcome the inertia of old thinking. This in the public sector makes additional challenges, but if we want to support and maintain democratic societies, we have to learn to enlarge public spaces. In the case of EVA, this means creating digital commons that enable those without access to enormous capital sources The chance To participate, not different from what has happened at public universities in the middle part of the last century. These institutions have contributed to exploiting enormous creative potential. We need infrastructures that can do the same in digital rooms.
Nages Sislack: Finally, our conference topic is “Connecting the points”. Can you briefly describe what “connect the points” means for you?
Bjorn Stevens: Well, based on the above mentioned above, I would hope that readers have already done this. Technology development for a successful and sustainable futuresomething that Can't be finished Without the hard work of strengthening instead of destroying, democratic institutions.