German Advisory Council on Global Change
Name: German Advisory Council on Global Change (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen, WBGU)
Established in: 1992 (the German Advisory Council on Global Change was established by the German Federal Government and has been given a renewed mandate since then)
Role: The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) is an independent scientific advisory body to the German Federal Government. The Council provides recommendations for action and research on sustainability challenges for science, policy and society. The Council is fully independent in its work and choice of topics.
Duties: The Council is tasked to: compile scientific analyses, develop concepts, and propose solutions for global sustainability; think and advise in a systemic, independent and interdisciplinary manner; seek dialogue with policy-makers, society and international organisations, to reveal ways of achieving the transformation towards sustainability
Composition: The nine Council members of the WBGU are leading scientists with different disciplinary backgrounds. All are appointed by the German Government's Federal Cabinet for a term of four years.
The secretariat: The Berlin-based WBGU secretariat comprises 10 staff members, including 7 scientists. Each Council member is supported by a personal research assistant.
