Quand au DR Congo: September 2009

This summer we attended the United Nations University Summer Academy in Munich, Germany for a week. The academy brought together experts, academics, and policy making bodies (UN, IPCC, SEI) from all over the world to collaborate on a policy paper. This involves close cooperation between experts from industrialised, emerging and developing countries. The Summer Academy provides impulses for vulnerability research. Its objective is to analyse the gaps that exist in this field in science, politics and working practice, and to develop potential solutions. There were some 20 young scientists from all over the world (including Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Japan, India, New Zealand and Indonesia) and six of our seven chairholders (MRF-UNU Chair on Social Vulnerability) considered the interaction of climate change and possible humanitarian crises. The concept of “tipping points”, which describes the juncture at which crises may be triggered, needs to be better understood and given greater consideration in climate research. So what are the world's greatest tipping points? (This was the question that we wrestled with the whole week). Greed, Power, Money was key in our groups discussion on tipping points.
It was a crazy experience. We were told to bring our current research from our studies with us to present to the group. Needless to say almost everyone had a PHD and above. We kept thinking they had mistaken us for someone else and we were crashing their party. Really, it was great fun. Sort of like an academic retreat. We got to stay and meet in a Bavarian Castle and village for a week. It was just on the outskirts of Munich. Also, we had a few days where we got to travel to the city center of Munich. We both loved Munich. It was such charming city. Here is a taste of our trip...

The Castle we had our academy in...