Climate Expertise for NATO
Scientist Dr Christine Nam from the Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), an institution of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, was appointed NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE) Fellow on 1 September 2025. Nine fellows have been selected from around 300 applicants for this fellowship. The fellows will spend six months fostering collaborations amongst researchers, practitioners, and professionals in the domain of climate security. Dr Nam will support efforts with CCASCOE to strengthening climate literacy, training, and education amongst allies as they strive to understand and address the complex interplay between climate change and security.
Dr Christine Nam is looking forward to her new role. Photo: private source
The NATO Centre of Excellence for Climate Change and Security (CCASCOE), based in Montreal, Canada, supports NATO members and partners in their efforts to adapt to the security implications of climate change and reduce their own negative impact on climate change, while enhancing operational effectiveness. Dr Nam will also participate in the Montreal Climate Security Summit (8–9 October 2025). This annual international conference on climate change and security serves as an important meeting place for the global climate security community. It brings together military and civilian experts, policymakers, researchers, representatives of civil society and industry.
This year's conference focuses on strengthening military adaptation to climate risks, including technical, scientific and operational discussions on how armed forces can plan and conduct activities across all domains in a climate-affected operating environment. The summit will feature a mix of plenary sessions, roundtable discussions (with up to 80 participants) and workshops (with up to 50 participants) aimed at further strengthening cross-sector dialogue within the community of interest, promoting solution-oriented discussions and achieving actionable outcomes. Dr Nam will be part of the roundtable discussing ‘Military Readiness and Climate Resilience in the Space Domain’.
Cutting-edge research for a changing world
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon`s scientific research aims at preserving a world worth living in. To this end, around 1000 employees generate knowledge and research new technologies for greater resilience and sustainability - for the benefit of the climate, the coast and people. The path from idea to innovation leads through a continuous interplay between experimental studies, modeling and AI to digital twins that map the diverse parameters of climate and coast or human biology in the computer. This is an interdisciplinary approach that spans from the fundamental scientific understanding of complex systems to scenarios and practical applications. As an active member of national and international research networks and the Helmholtz Association, Hereon supports politics, business and society in shaping a sustainable future by transferring the expertise it has gained.