PIK director Hans Joachim Schellnhuber addressed the challenges of research in the current climate of 'post-truth' and gave an overview over the institute´s activities in the past year. He described PIK as a Philharmonic orchestra that grows in excellence, not necessarily in size – while the number of researchers remained stable in 2016, the scientific output of peer-reviewed ISI publications has continued to grow to an all-time high.
Chief economist Ottmar Edenhofer explored three narratives of capitalism, calling for an inclusive transformation towards sustainability. No less than two extra sessions addressed the issue of inequality created by human-caused climate change, while also discussing how mitigation efforts such as an ecological tax reform could help strengthen social cohesion. Presentations included trade-offs and synergies among the Sustainable Development Goals, carbon pricing, micro-insurances as an adaptation mechanism in the face of climate change, and many more.
Scientists from all research domains shared their current research and findings. Topics ranged from Monsoon forecasting and mitigation research after the Paris Agreement to the Amazon and energy conflicts, reflecting the great scope and depth of research at the Potsdam Institute.
