Prof. Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann appointed to the WBGU
Congratulations!
Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann was newly appointed to the German Advisory Council on Global Change by the German Federal Cabinet on December 21, 2022.
The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) was established in 1992 as an independent scientific advisory body. The nine-member body brings together knowledge from a wide range of fields: economics, law and business studies, biodiversity and climate research are represented, as are materials science and the sociology of knowledge. Outstanding personalities such as the climate researcher Hans-Otto Pörtner are among its members. In expert reports, the WBGU is to analyze global environmental and development problems, evaluate research on globally sustainable development, identify research deficits and provide impetus for science or, in the sense of early warning, point out new problem areas, evaluate global sustainability policy, make recommendations for action and research, and promote awareness of the challenges of globally sustainable development through press and public relations work.
Professor Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann represents the field of medicine on the committee. She holds the Chair of Environmental Medicine at the University of Augsburg and is Director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Munich. With her work, Traidl-Hoffmann wants to understand which environmental factors make us sick and which protective factors from the environment keep us healthy. Here, a major focus is on climate change-induced environmental changes. The clinical focus is on chronic inflammatory diseases, such as allergy and neurodermatitis. The overall goal of her work is the prevention of environmental diseases and climate resilience of the health care system.
Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann succeeds Sabine Gabrysch, who left the WBGU for health reasons. Sabine Gabrysch: "I have very much enjoyed working in this wonderfully interdisciplinary group of experts and I am incredibly sorry that I can no longer do so. Regrettably, even before the completion of our expert report on Planetary Health, which is very close to my heart. But I'm glad that WBGU has been able to attract a strong successor who can bring health expertise with a planetary perspective." Gabrysch, a physician, had been a member of the Advisory Council since November 2020, and during her time was instrumental in shaping the content and concept of the current main report on "Environment and Health."