Joern Birkmann
Head of Section and Academic Officer
- Institute: UNU-EHS
- E-mail:
- Phone: + 49-228-815-0208
- Nationality: Not available
Profile
Education
- Dortmund University, Ph.D., Spatial Planning, Spatial Planning
- University of Bonn, Post-doctoral Degree, Geography (Habilitation)
Key Publications
- Birkmann, J. (2010): Global Disaster Response and Reconstruction: Stabilization versus Destabilization – Challenges of the Global Disaster Response to Reduce Vulnerability and Risk Following Disasters. In: Dölemeyer, A.; Zimmer, J.; Tetzlaff, G. (Eds.): Risk and Planet Earth – Vulnerability, Natural Hazards, Integrated Adaptation Strategies. Schweizerbart, pp. 43-55.
- Birkmann, J.; von Teichmann, K. (2010): Integrating disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: key challenges—scales, knowledge, and norms. In: Sustainability Science. vol. 5(2), pp. 171-184 (peer-reviewed) DOI 10.1007/s11625-010-0108-y.
- Miller, F.; Osbahr, H.; Boyd, E.; Thomalla, F.; Bharwani, S.; Ziervogel, G.; Walker, B.; Birkmann, J.; van der Leeuw, S.; Rockström, J.; Hinkel, J., Downing, T.; Folke, C.; Nelson, D. (2010): Resilience and vulnerability: complementary or conflicting concepts?. In: Ecology and Society. vol. 15(3): 11. (online: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol15/iss3/art11/)
- Birkmann, J.; von Teichman, K.; Aldunce, P.; Bach, C.; Binh, N. T.; Garschagen, M.; Kanwar, S.; Setiadi, N.; Thach, L. N.; Oliver-Smith, A. (2009): Addressing the Challenge: Recommendations and Quality Criteria for Linking Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change: In: Birkmann, J.; Tetzlaff, G.; Zentel, K.-O.(Eds.): DKKV Publication Series, No. 38, Bonn.
- Schlipf, S.; Birkmann, J. (2009): Neue Strategien und Handlungsfelder zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel durch räumliche Planung auf Regionalebene. In: Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge; Deutscher Wetterdienst (Eds.): Herausforderungen für die Katastrophenvorsorge im 21. Jahrhundert.
- Birkmann, J. (2009): Soziale Aspekte für den Bevölkerungsschutz fassbar machen. In: Notfallvorsorge. vol. 40 (2), pp. 16-19.
- Birkmann, J. (2008): Lernen aus “Natur”katastrophen, Die “letzte” Meile zur ersten machen. In: Geographie und Schule. vol. 30, Heft 171, pp. 11-19.
- Birkmann, J.; Krings, S. (2008): Die Vulnerabilität Kritischer Infrastrukturen gegenüber (möglichen) Auswirkungen des Klimawandels. In: Notfallvorsorge. vol. 39 (4), pp. 25-30.
Biographical Statement
Joern holds a license as an urban planner and has broad expertise in the fields of vulnerability, sustainable development and environmental assessment. He is specialized in the development of assessment methodologies and indicators to estimate and evaluate different socio-economic trends and environmental degradation at sub-national, local and household levels.
He is currently the IPCC lead author in the IPCC Special Report “Managing the Risk of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.” He is also the lead author of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC in the chapter “Emergent Risks and Key-Vulnerabilities.” His work experience also encompasses research activities and lectures in such areas as London and Mexico. In addition to research and training activities at UNU-EHS, Joern also teaches at the Institute for Geography at the University of Bonn. He is currently involved in vulnerability assessment in coastal and flood-prone communities in Indonesia and Vietnam and also coordinates the development and testing of indicators to measure vulnerability to floods, heatwaves and droughts, as well as sea level rise in Germany, Egypt and Indonesia.
