Evidence, Values, and Communication – First Hannover-Bern Workshop on the Philosophy of Climate Science
Experts from the Philosophy of Climate Science from Leibniz University Hannover and the University of Bern will meet on 9 February 2026 to discuss issues surrounding evidence, values, and communication in the context of climate science. Attendance at this event is by invitation only.
The Evidence, Values, and Communication workshop fosters a growing community dedicated to examining how scientific evidence, societal values, and modes of communication intersect in the climate sciences. It marks the beginning of a sustained collaboration between Leibniz University Hannover and the University of Bern in the philosophy of climate science. Structured around three central themes that reflect ongoing research interests within both institutions, the workshop is meant to provide a platform for dialogue, exchange, and the strengthening of collaborative ties.
Schedule
9 February 2026
09:00 – 09:15 | Registration and coffee |
09:15 – 09:25 | Mathias Frisch – Opening remarks |
09:25 – 10:55 | Session 1: Evidence, models and values 09:25 - 10:10 Philippe Colo: ‘The role of normative pluralism in social science models’ 10:10 - 10:25 Julie Jebeile: ‘IPCC as climate service’ 10:25 - 10:40 Niklas Gaertner: ‘Reconsidering evidence-based policy for climate adaptation’ 10:40 - 10:55 Emma Braccini: ‘Understanding climate change’ |
11:15 – 12:45 | Coffee Break |
11:15 – 12:45 | Session 2: Emerging computational methods in climate science 11:15 - 12:00 Gabriel Târziu: ‘Machine learning in climate science’ 12:00 - 12:15 Claus Beisbart: ‘Computer simulations and machine learning in climate science’ 12:15 - 12:30 Anni Bukowski – ‘Tracing latent values in climate modeling’ 12:30 - 12:45 Margherita Harris – ‘Probability, climate models, and quantifauxcation’ |
12:45 - 14:00 | Lunch |
14:00 – 15:30 | Session 3: Communicating climate science 14:00 - 14:45 Hannah Hilligardt: ‘Consensus communication or activist science communication’ 14:45 - 15:00 Alice Wheatley: ‘Understanding as the aim of climate change communication’ 15:00 - 15:15 Sapna Kumar: ‘Narrating climate change for global climate justice’ (Part I) 15:15 - 15:30 Futura Venuto: ‘Narrating climate change for global climate justice’ (Part II) |
15:30 – 16:00 | Coffee Break |
16:00 – 17:30 | Session 4: Building community 16:00 - 16:15 Vincent Lam: ‘The Philosophy of Climate Science Bibliography initiative’ 16:15 - 16:30 Francesco Nappo, Gabriel Târziu & T.Y. Branch: ‘Building a European network’ 16:30 - 17:30 Julie Jebeile & Mathias Frisch: Closing remarks & discussion |
19:00 – 21:00 | Dinner at Brauhaus Ernst August, Schmiedestraße 13, 30159 Hannover |
Workshop Information
Getting to the workshop
The workshop will take place on the campus of Leibniz University Hannover in room A112 (1st floor), building 1926, the building of the Institute of Philosophy. Click on the following link for the building location: Lange Laube 6, Hannover, Germany.
The closest airports are Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, and Berlin; the closest train station is Hannover Central Station (Hannover Hauptbahnhof). We at SOCRATES have taken a climate pledge and thus would like to encourage you to travel by train if at all possible, or otherwise to choose a flight with minimal stopovers by an eco-conscious airline.
See here for directions to Leibniz University Hannover by car, public transport, and plane.
Hotels
Click here to download a list of hotels in Hannover .
Lunch
Lunch is free of charge for registered participants. All food is vegan. Several of the dishes are also gluten-free. Please see the menu for more information on the day.
Conference Dinner
The workshop dinner (self-paid) is on February 9th at 19:00. The dinner location is Brauhaus Ernst August, Schmiedestraße 13, 30159 Hannover. Click here for their menu.
Accessibility
The building and workshop room are wheelchair-accessible.
Speaker/s
- Claus Beisbart, University of Bern
- T.Y. Branch, Leibniz University Hannover
- Anni Bukowski, University of Bern
- Emma Braccini, TU Dresden
- Philippe Colo, University of Bern
- Mathias Frisch, Leibniz University Hannover
- Niklas Gaertner, University of Bern
- Margherita Harris, Leibniz University Hannover
- Hannah Hilligardt, University of Bern
- Julie Jebeile, University of Bern
- Sapna Kumar, University of Bern
- Vincent Lam, University of Bern
- Francesco Nappo, Catholic University of Milan
- Gabriel Târziu, Leibniz University Hannover
- Futura Venuto, University of Bern
- Alice Wheatley, Leibniz University Hannover
Event organiser/s
This event is organised by SOCRATES Fellows Francesco Nappo (Catholic University of Milan) and Gabriel Târziu (Leibniz University Hannover) together with SOCRATES Director Mathias Frisch and SOCRATES Coordinators Leonie Wiemeyer and Jessica Inhestern. They are kindly supported by SOCRATES team members T.Y. Branch, Kiki Schindler, and Nina Wilhelm.
This workshop is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Project 470816212/KFG43.
Date
09. Feb. 202609:00 - 17:30
Registration deadline
27. January 2026Contact information
Dr. Leonie WiemeyerInstitute of Philosophy / SOCRATES
Lange Laube 6
30159 Hannover
leonie.wiemeyer@philos.uni-hannover.de
Location
Institute of PhilosophyBuilding: 1926
Room: A112
Großer Seminarraum
Lange Laube 6
30159 Hannover
