Dieter Gerten

Prof. Dr. Dieter Gerten is a full-time Professor for Climate System and Water Balance in Global Change at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin's Department of Geography and a Senior Researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). He leads the Terrestrial Safe Operating Space working group at PIK and is a Co-speaker of the Leibniz Association's network on Integrated Earth System Research. His work focuses on global water resources, agricultural water scarcity, ecosystems under climate change, planetary boundaries, and the intersection of religion and water governance.

Education: Dr. rer. nat. in Limnology from the University of Potsdam (2001), with postdoctoral research on global hydrological and climate impacts. Notable awards include recognition as a Highly Cited Researcher (2018–2024), a Reuters Hot List Top Climate Scientist (2021), and a Highlight Award for impactful papers in Environmental Research Letters.

Research interests span freshwater sustainability, climate-driven shifts in ecosystems, and transdisciplinary approaches to planetary boundaries. Key contributions include defining planetary boundaries for freshwater and land use, analyzing global water scarcity dynamics, and modeling climate impacts on agriculture and ecosystems. He co-authored the influential 2015 Science paper on planetary boundaries and has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles.

Prof. Gerten advises policy and international initiatives, including the IPCC, and leads projects on regenerative agriculture and climate adaptation. His book Wasser: Knappheit, Klimawandel, Welternährung (2020) critiques unsustainable water use and advocates for equitable, ecologically mindful water governance.