IIASA Director General John Schellnhuber in an interview with Katharina Kropshofer at Falter.

The physicist and climate researcher Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber recently started his new role near Vienna. A conversation about alarmism, tipping points and climate jokes.

Click here to read the interview (in German).

News

Aerial view of flooded village by river Rhine, St. Goar or Sankt Goar, Germany.

22 May 2026

IIASA Director General featured in new documentary on Pope Francis and the climate crisis

IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber is featured in the new documentary Hirschhausen will zum Papst (Hirschhausen wants to meet the Pope), produced by Germany’s public broadcaster ARD.
Large construction site with foundations, scaffolding and cranes.

21 May 2026

IIASA Director General highlights concerns over slow progress in decarbonizing the buildings sector

A recent Table.Briefings article featuring comments by IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber highlights growing concerns that progress in decarbonizing the global buildings sector remains too slow to achieve international climate goals. The article discusses findings from the new UNEP and Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025/2026.
The Green Cityscape vision involves creating eco-friendly cities powered by renewable energy

02 February 2026

Finding hope beyond overshoot: Schellnhuber on unexpected climate solutions

In an interview with the publication, Klimareporter°, IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber reflects on the accelerating climate crisis and the search for solutions in a world approaching ecological overshoot.