PIK's Board of Trustees, headed by the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, agreed last year to bring the natural and social sciences closer together with the twin leadership of climate economist Ottmar Edenhofer and earth system researcher Johan Rockström. “In an unprecedented way, we are bringing together two complementary approaches: The concept of the Planetary Boundaries with the concept of Global Commons. We thereby combine risk research and solutions research,” said Ottmar Edenhofer, who is also director of the Mercator Research Institutes on Global Commons and Climate Change and Professor for the "Economics of Climate Change" at the Technischen Universität Berlin. Johan Rockström, Professor for Earth System at the University of Potsdam added: “World development now depends on safeguarding the stability of the entire Earth system, and a safe operating space for humanity on Earth can only be met if the atmosphere, oceans and forests are managed sustainably as a common asset for all people on our planet. Fundamentally, global environmental risks translate into climate impacts, and climate stability depends on reconnecting human societies with the Earth system. PIK is in a unique position as a world leading interdisciplinary climate impact and global sustainability science institute to address this challenge.”
Weblink to the press release of the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the Federal State of Brandenburg: https://mwfk.brandenburg.de/cms/detail.php/bb1.c.620703.de
Weblink to the PIK press release on the new leadership of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research: https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/press-releases/social-and-natural-science-together-new-co-directors-to-lead-the-potsdam-institute-for-climate-impact-research?set_language=en
