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Dear readers,

The terrorist attacks in Paris are a shocking reminder that the world is facing multiple problems that require immediate and concerted action. First and foremost, the political instability and war in Syria and Iraq must be addressed to halt the ever-rising numbers of casualties and refugees.

However different they may seem at first glance, political instability and climate change are closely connected. Extensive droughts and rising sea levels will force people to migrate, in numbers similar or even greater than those that we see today. Yet, dealing with climate change is perceived by many as less urgent. Although it is true that the time scales involved in climate change are greater than those of geo-political unrest, and the associated changes less perceptible, many of these changes will be irreversible if we do not act now.

Therefore, curbing greenhouse-gas emissions also requires immediate and concerted actions, and that is exactly what the participants of the 2015 UN climate meeting in Paris (, 30 November – 11 December) planned to do. But in the wake of last Friday, everything is likely to be different. According to the latest news, COP21 will proceed in Paris. This is an important sign, but for the participants it will be hard to focus on the matter at hand.

As usual, this IMAU newsletter contains a wide variety of interesting contributions from a wide range of authors, including the first in a series of columns by PhD students Fiona van der Burgt and Michiel Baatsen.

I hope you will enjoy reading it.

Michiel van den Broeke

Michiel van den broeke is Professor of Polar Meteorology at IMAU, Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ. You can view his personal page .