Henrik Smith works at the Center for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) and the Department of Biology in Lund. He will take up his position at the Climate Policy Council on 1 July.

“The Swedish Climate Policy Council has been pivotal in putting the climate issue high on the political agenda in Sweden by combining strong scientific expertise and an independence; it is a great honour to be a part of the council”, he comments.

Climate change and biodiversity

Henrik Smith’s research concerns biodiversity with a focus on how climate change and land-use affect organisms and ecosystems. To identify solutions that simultaneously reduces climate change, reduce biodiversity loss and increases the capacity of ecosystems to withstand changes, is what he sees as most urgent to focus on in his work within the council.

“I hope to contribute with knowledge about the interactions between climate change and loss of biodiversity, that is that climate change impacts biodiversity while degradation of ecosystems at the same time can result in both climate change and reduce nature’s resilience to climate change”, he says.

Evaluating the Government's policies

The mission of the Swedish Climate Policy Council is to evaluate the Swedish Government’s overall policies including the foundations and methods on which they are built. The new members who are now appointed replaces three persons for whom appointments have expired: Karin Bäckstrand, Markku Rummukainen and Sverker Sörlin. Beyond Henrik Smith, Victoria Wibeck, professor at Linköping University, and Elin Lerum Boasson, professor at University og Oslo, will join the Council on 1 July.