Welcome
The Epistemology of Climate Change research group investigates the philosophy of science and ethical/normative dimensions of the climate and environmental challenges.
Our focus includes the epistemic and methodological foundations of climate (and Earth system) science and modelling, in particular in relation to climate change adaptation, extreme events and tipping points in natural and social systems––with special attention to the value-laden and (in)justice dimensions in these contexts. More
More broadly, we are interested in addressing these issues in the Anthropocene perspective, where climate change is understood as one aspect of a larger story involving disruptive human interferences in fundamental, life support planetary processes.
Consult our publications and annotated bibliography.
We have been funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) since 2019 and are hosted at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Bern and the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research. At the international level, we are contributing to the My Climate Risk Lighthouse Activity of the World Climate Research Programme, in particular through its Philosophy Working Group.
News
Visiting fellows
Emma Braccini from TU Dresden and Carolina Cuadrado Bastos from Complutense University of Madrid are visiting the group this Fall semester 2026. Welcome!
SOCRATES Summer School 2026
Vincent Lam is an invited speaker at the SOCRATES Summer School 2026 on Bridging the Gap: Science, Trust, and the Climate Crisis at Leibniz University Hannover, 1-4 September 2026.
Master thesis defense
Julia Pressner has successfully defended her Master thesis titled Justice Concerns in Carbon Offsetting: Value Commitments and Switzerland’s Implementation of Article 6.2. Congratulations!
Talk at SILFS 2026
Anni Bukowski will give a talk at the SILFS Triennial Conference of the Italian Society for Logic and the Philosophy of Science at University School for Advanced Studies IUSS Pavia (29 June – 2 July 2026).