Vera Künzel

Vera Künzel works on the impacts of climate change, with a particular focus on the consequences for vulnerable people and communities. Her work centers on strengthening climate resilience through effective climate risk management, including approaches to loss and damage and climate change adaptation. Another key area of her expertise is the climate–security nexus, with a particular emphasis on human security.

For many years, she has followed the international UN climate negotiations. As part of her work on the Climate Risk Index (CRI), she analyzes the impacts of weather-related extreme events such as storms, floods, and heatwaves on countries worldwide. The Climate Risk Index aims to contextualize climate policy debates through the analysis of disaster loss data.

Vera Künzel has extensive experience working with international partners and networks. Among other projects, she leads a multi-stakeholder partnership project to develop a national loss and damage mechanism in Bangladesh. She has also been actively engaged for many years in international and national networks at the interface of science, policymaking, and civil society.

In previous projects, she focused extensively on climate risk insurance as an instrument of a comprehensive climate risk management.

Areas of Expertise

Climate change impacts, Climate risk management and climate resilience (including loss and damage and adaptation), Climate and security, Climate-induced migration and displacement, Climate foreign policy

Additional Information

• Co-Chair of the Climate Working Group of the Association of German Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs (VENRO)
• Co-author of the Climate Risk Index (CRI)