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 one of the world's leading experts on 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 designated 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 OECD Advisory Council “Growth, Investment and the Low-Carbon Transition”,[1] a member of the High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices,[2] a member of the Advisory Committee of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), and a member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). In July 2018, Professor Edenhofer was awarded the Romano-Guardini-Prize by the Katholische Akademie in Bayern.[3]

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.[4]

Since 2007, Edenhofer is deputy director and chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), co-chairing 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.[5] In addition, he supervises several PhD and Diploma students at PIK.[6] 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 land rents,[8] 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,[9] 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,[10] 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."[11]: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.[11]

Edenhofer's research work has been called into question as politically-driven, by using his work as a means to advance his personal beliefs, instead of human knowledge [12]. He is quoted as saying "Basically, it is a big mistake to discuss climate policy apart from the big issues of globalization. The climate summit in Cancún at the end of the month is not a climate conference" , further adding "But one has to be clear: we are effectively redistributing world wealth through climate policy. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy". [13]

Fellowships

  • 2007: Fellow of the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg, Germany[14]
  • 2008: Fellow of the German Association Socialpolitik, Research Committee Environmental and Resource Economics
  • 2009: Fellow of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE)
  • 2009: Member of the Scientific Advisory Council at the Munich Society for the Promotion of Economic Research
  • 2009: Member of the Scientific Advisory Council at the EUREF-Institute in Berlin
  • 2010: Member of the group "Climate, Energy & Environment" of the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina
  • 2012: Member of the Advisory Committee of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP)[15]
  • 2012: Member of the Foundation Council of Munich Re[16]:57
  • 2013: Member of the Forschungsforum Promoter Group Economy[17]
  • 2013: Chair of the Euro-CASE Energy Platform[18]
  • 2015: Member of the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech)

Publications

See also

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.oecd.org/environment/cc/advisory-council-members-project-growth-investment-lowcarbon-transition.pdf
  2. ↑ https://www.carbonpricingleadership.org/commissioners/
  3. ↑ "Edenhofer honored with Romano Guardini Prize". Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "Current PhD Students (of Ottmar Edenhofer)". Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  7. ↑ Volkswagen Group appoints international Sustainability Council Volkswagen, press release of September 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "Hypergeorgism: When is Rent Taxation as a Remedy for Insufficient Capital Accumulation Socially Optimal?". SSRN 2232659. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help) 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."
  9. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "Financing Public Capital Through Land Rent Taxation: A Macroeconomic Henry George Theorem". SSRN 2284745. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  10. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "The Triple Dividend Climate Change Mitigation, Justice and Investing in Capabilities" (PDF). Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  11. 1 2 Schiermeier, Quirin (19 September 2013). "The Climate Chairman" (PDF). Nature. 501 (7467): 304–306. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  12. ↑ Eidson, John. "The hidden agenda behind climate change".
  13. ↑ Edenhofer, Ottmar. "Klimapolitik verteilt das Weltvermögen neu".
  14. ↑ "Prof. Dr. Ottmar Edenhofer". Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  15. ↑ "Advisory Committee". Green Growth Knowledge Platform. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ "Edenhofer to advise "Energiewende Research Forum" — Press release". Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). 2013. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  18. ↑ "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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