Global climate policy is highly unlikely to meet the target set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to two degrees by the end of this century. It seems only a matter of time before the 1.5-degree target is exceeded. This assessment forms the basis for the lectures by Prof. Richard Balme, from Sciences Po in Paris, on Tuesday 26 May 2026, and Prof. Sabine Fuss from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) on 2 June 2026 in the Senatssaal der HU Main Building, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin.
Why nations are failing to achieve their climate policy goals – a comparison
Despite the wealth of scientific evidence on human-induced climate change and the commitment to tackle it set out in the Paris Agreement, nations are failing to achieve the climate policy targets they have set for themselves. In his comparative political science analysis, Richard Balme highlights the importance of institutions: these can cement social structures that perpetuate a fossil fuel-based economy, or alternatively facilitate the energy transition and promote measures for climate adaptation and resilience. In his lecture “The State in the Anthropocene: The Comparative Politics of Climate Institutions and Climate Policies”, Balme compares the climate institutions of the European Union, China (PRC) and the USA, and highlights the differences in the climate protection regimes for these three cases.
At a glance
- When:Tuesday, 26 May 2026, 6.00–7.30 pm
- Where: Main Building of Humboldt-Universität, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Senatssaal
- Programme and registration: The lecture, entitled “The State in the Anthropocene: The Comparative Politics of Climate Institutions and Climate Policies”, will be held in English. No registration is required. Admission is free.
About the speaker
Richard Balme is a full professor of political science at the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics at Sciences Po Paris. His research focuses on climate and environmental policy from a comparative perspective. From 2018 to 2022, he was director of the Atelier interdisciplinaire de recherches sur l’environnement, the research platform for environmental research in the social sciences and humanities at Sciences Po. Balme has taught at the University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University in Beijing and Columbia University in New York. From 2012 to 2014, he was a member of the Conseil Economique, Social et de l’Environnement and, from 2016 to 2020, a member of the Conseil de l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).
Potential and challenges of carbon management
In her lecture “Back to the (1.5 °C) Future: Potential and Challenges of CO₂ Removal”, Sabine Fuss focuses on the importance of atmospheric CO₂ removal (Carbon Dioxide Removal, CDR). She argues that CDR is indispensable for limiting further warming following a foreseeable overshoot of the 1.5-degree limit and for returning below this limit in the long term. She presents the current state of research on carbon management and highlights the economic, technical, environmental and social challenges of implementing large-scale CDR projects. Furthermore, she addresses geographical differences in carbon management, discusses issues of global justice and explores how sustainable financing models for CDR projects can be designed in a time of great geopolitical uncertainty.
At a glance
- When: Tuesday, 2 June, 6.00–7.30 pm
- Where: Main building of Humboldt-Universität, Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Senatssaal
- Programme and registration: The lecture “Back to the (1.5 °C) Future: Potential and Challenges of CO₂ Removal” will be delivered in German. No registration is required. Admission is free.
Note regarding filming and photography
Photographs and video recordings will be taken during the KOSMOS event. The material will be used exclusively for public relations purposes at Humboldt-Universität.
About the speaker
Sabine Fuss is a department head at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), where she also leads a research group on sustainable carbon management. She holds a professorship in Sustainable Resource Management and Global Change at the Department of Geography at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Previously, Prof. Dr. Fuss worked at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria. Her areas of expertise are sustainable development, tropical forest conservation and climate protection, with a particular focus on carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere (CDR). She was lead author of the IPCC’s Special Report on 1.5 °C and was elected to the European Academy of Sciences in 2021.
About the Kosmos Lectures
The KOSMOS Lectures are organised by the Integrative Research Institute IRI THESys at Humboldt-Universität. IRI THESys is dedicated to the research field of transformations in human-environment systems from an interdisciplinary perspective.