From 1 January to 21 February, 2026, Patrick Flamm, Head of the Research Group Ecology, Climate, and Conflict, spent an extended research stay in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand which was largely funded by the Young Academy for Sustainability Research (YAS) at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS). Patrick investigated the sustainability efforts of the New Zealand Defence Forces and the links between science, conservation, and the military in the local drone industry, as well as New Zealand perspectives on the resilience of the Antarctic Treaty System.
He also presented his own research on the political and legal challenges of geoengineering in Antarctica at the international CLIC26 Climate and Cryosphere Conference in Wellington from 9–12 February. On 17 February, he participated as a speaker at the Year in Review Conference of the Politics and International Relations Program at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.
