Hannele Korhonen – “The level of understanding of the pace of climate change and the urgency of climate change actions is still insufficient”
Hannele Korhonen, an atmospheric researcher working for the Finnish Meteorological Institute, brings strong knowledge of the climate system to the Finnish Climate Change Panel. According to Korhonen, discussion on climate change has changed dramatically in recent years, and there is a lot of talk about combating global warming. However, the adaptation aspect remains much less visible in public discourse.
Hannele Korhonen is an atmospheric scientist specialising in modelling atmospheric processes and the climate. Korhonen, who works at the Finnish Meteorological Institute as the director of the Climate Research Programme and as a research professor, is particularly familiar with the scientific basis of climate change and its impacts.
“I have carried out basic research on the climate system: how it works and how different factors, such as greenhouse gases or fine particles, affect the climate. I have also studied climate engineering, which involves attempting to artificially cool the climate. I take a critical approach to climate engineering, but it is an interesting research topic,” says Korhonen.
Korhonen sees the Finnish Climate Change Panel as a motivating place from which to influence decision-making based on researched information.
“The role of a natural scientist is to bring the facts about the causes and progress of climate change into the public discourse and policy-making: to explain the changes in the climate system, the risks, and the magnitude, and to highlight what is really happening in the climate – the effects of changing temperature or rainfall, for example,” Korhonen says.
She is particularly interested in contributing to the panel on adaptation and mitigation research, exploring natural carbon sinks such as forests and soils.
Taking climate change seriously – work still to be done on understanding the magnitude and speed of climate change
Korhonen is glad that climate change is now being taken seriously.
“I’ve been working on climate change for 20 years, and public interest in climate issues has grown substantially over that time. There is a lot of talk today about combating climate change, but at the same time, there should be more emphasis on adaptation. All sectors of society need to think about how to adapt to global warming and the changes it will entail.”
According to Korhonen, better understanding of climate change is necessary.
“Its scale and speed are still not understood well. At times it can also be easy to confuse big and small issues in climate change discourse. Fortunately, despite the shortcomings, public discourse contributes in many ways to the fight against climate change,” she says.
In her free time, Korhonen enjoys sports, volunteering and culture in particular.
“I read and go to the theatre and art exhibitions – I’m also very good at just relaxing,” she says.