Friederike E.L. Otto

The 2026 Hans Oeschger Medal is awarded to Friederike E.L. Otto for pioneering extreme event attribution and transforming climate communication through the World Weather Attribution initiative.

Friederike E.L. Otto has done groundbreaking work in extreme event attribution and is a great leadership in climate communication. As co-founder and scientific lead of the World Weather Attribution initiative (WWA), Otto has developed robust methodologies to quantify the influence of climate change on individual extreme events, producing rapid, scientifically rigorous assessments that have transformed the global conversation about climate change. By combining climate modelling with analyses of vulnerability and exposure, WWA has shown how climate change interacts with societal factors to turn extreme events into disasters. Her efforts have made attribution science a cornerstone of both climate research and communication, reaching policymakers, the media, and the public worldwide. 

In addition, Otto has contributed extensively to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, published highly cited interdisciplinary studies linking attribution science with climate justice and litigation, and authored influential popular science books. Dr Otto’s scientific excellence, interdisciplinary vision, and tireless commitment to communicating the realities of climate change make her a truly deserving recipient of the 2026 Hans Oeschger Medal.