Who we are in brief
klimafakten.de is the leading German-language online resource on climate communications. We are an online magazine providing up-to-date reporting on how to engage the public in addressing climate change.
We also engage in offline activities such as conferences and workshops. A key activity in this field is the K3 conference on climate communications.
What we believe in: acts must be facts.
Climate change poses huge challenges, and tough questions. A constructive debate over the best way to protect our planet must be grounded, first and foremost, in fact. That’s where we come in.
We digest the complex findings of climate research and produce short, accessible reports, explaining their implications for different sectors of the economy and society.
We address questions and critical arguments against the conclusions drawn from scientific research, and present the scientific evidence in the “facts and assertions” section (“Fakten statt Behauptungen”) of our website.
What we focus on in our news coverage: Facts alone don’t communicate.
And communication doesn’t automatically lead to climate action and meaningful climate policy. For knowledge to become action, we need an open debate and a lively exchange of ideas.
Accordingly, new ways of fostering public debate about climate change are an additional focus of our work. We keep you informed about the latest research into climate communication, document successful practice, and present key players in the field.
Our guiding principles
klimafakten.de (literally meaning climate facts) – our name encapsulates our high standards of accuracy and reliability. To live up to our name, we follow rigorous editorial guidelines that include working closely with our scientific advisory board.
Some of our content is based on that of Australian sister project, Skeptical Science, which was founded by John Cook, Global Change Institute/University of Queensland in 2007.
How we are organised
klimafakten.de was founded in 2011. It is initiated and funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation, until April 2021 as part of the Smart Energy for Europe Platform (SEFEP), a shareholder of both foundations. Since April 2021 klimafakten.de is a joint initiative of the European Climate Foundation and Stiftung Mercator under the roof of the 2050 Media Projekt gGmbH.
Our small team comprised of five staff is based in Berlin, Germany. Organisationally, we are working under the same roof as our sister project Clean Energy Wire, a non-profit media service which produces and facilitates top-quality journalism about the energy transition in Germany and beyond.
We cooperate with partner organisations in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, including the Climate Change Centre Austria, ProClim Schweiz, MeteoSwiss, the Deutsches Klima-Konsortium and Climate Outreach.
Recognition for our work
klimafakten.de’s contribution to climate journalism was recognised by the Environmental Action Germany with its 2017 Environmental Media Prize.
In 2022 klimafakten.de was awarded the Science Journalism Award of the German Psychological Society (DGPs).
Using content from klimafakten.de?
Would you like to quote or use content from klimafakten.de? This is how it works.
We would be pleased if you would like to use, disseminate and publish klimafakten.de content. This is possible under the following conditions (in the present version from 24 July 2018):
You may save, download, forward to third parties, distribute, publish in any other form and link to this website the contents of this website. With the prior written consent of klimafakten.de you can integrate the contents into other websites. The contents of klimafakten.de may not be changed or falsified.
If you quote, reproduce, disseminate or otherwise publish contents of klimafakten.de, please cite klimafakten.de as the source. We would appreciate back links on the appropriate content or a general link to klimafakten.de.
Please feel free to contact us at redaktion[at]klimafakten.de or by phone at +49 (030) 7001435-217. Please note that all links lead to the German-language website.