Falling Walls Falling Walls Science Summit 2023

Falling Walls Circle Round Table

Ocean Solutions for the Climate Crisis

Peter Schlosser, Katja Matthes, Torben Schreiter, Andreas Kosmider

2023 Circle Round Tables

Ocean Solutions for the Climate Crisis – Falling Walls Circle Round Table 2023

This panel discussion will focus on ocean-centred climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions. The potential of the ocean for accelerating decarbonisation merits prioritisation in the global climate-change discourse. The ocean presents substantial climate mitigation and carbon storage options to help limit global warming, while simultaneously introducing opportunities for economic gain. How can we enable technology leaps and foster innovation to unlock the ocean’s potential to mitigate global warming? What are prerequisites, e.g. an increased international cooperation and political framework.

Supported by GEOMAR, Extantia Capital, Deutsche Allianz Meeresforschung and MARUM.

Peter Schlosser

Arizona State University

Peter Schlosser is the Vice President and Vice Provost of Global Futures and Director of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University where he is also the University Global Futures Professor. He is co-chair of the Earth League and member of the Boards of the American Geophysical Union, Carbon Collect Inc., and The Sustainability Consortium. He serves on numerous national and international science steering and advisory committees. He is a member of the German National Academy of Science and the World Academy of Arts and Science, as well as Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Explorers Club.

Katja Matthes

GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel

Katja Matthes studied meteorology and completed her PhD at Freie Universität Berlin. Following her doctorate, she worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO, USA. After returning from America in 2007, she held teaching and management positions at the FU Berlin and at the Helmholtz Center Potsdam, where Professor Matthes headed a Helmholtz-University Young Investigators Group. In 2012, she was recruited as a full professor for “”Physics of the Atmosphere”” at GEOMAR. Professor Matthes is an expert in the field of climate variability and climate change. Since October 2020, Katja Matthes is director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

Torben Schreiter

Extantia Capital

Torben is a climate tech investor and Partner at Extantia Capital, a climate-first venture capital firm. He co-founded Signavio and served as its COO, a company that achieved a €1 billion exit to SAP. Holding a MA in Software Engineering from Hasso Plattner Institute, Torben combines his technical knowledge with a deep commitment to investing in and supporting impactful deep-tech climate solutions.

Andreas Kosmider

Falling Walls Foundation

Andreas Kosmider is a physicist with expertise in experimental astro-particle physics, energy systems, and fusion technologies. He earned his Ph.D. for pioneering work on background suppression techniques in direct neutrino mass measurements with the KATRIN collaboration. Later, he transitioned to project management and played a pivotal role in the KATRIN experiment, the world’s most precise direct neutrino mass measurement. In 2016, he joined the Helmholtz Association, where he led strategic digitalization initiatives and oversaw the Helmholtz Incubator for Information and Data Science. Andreas has a passion for the performing arts, having participated in over 35 theater productions, founded theater companies, and bridged the gap between science and theater. He has also been actively involved in various academic, social, cultural, and political organizations, displaying a keen interest in organizing large events and campaigns. As of September 2023, Andreas serves as the managing director of the Falling Walls Foundation.

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